B r e a k i n g F r e e
by Desperatembrace
Summary: Given the mission to bring back Sasuke, Naruto faces many troubles. The council wants him dead, he finds that he is starting to have feelings for Sasuke and Sasuke himself refuses to come home. The Akatsuki is on the move and Naruto isn't the only target.
1. The Clothes

My first fanfiction; written and BETA'd by me.

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own Naruto, although I wish I did. (Don't we all?) Not to mention-if I owned Naruto-It would DEFINITELY be a yaoi XD_

**Warning:**

Violence

Language

Sexual Content

Possible Spoilers

Yaoi

**Key:**

"talking"

_thinking/talking to kyuubi_

_**kyuubi talking in his mind**_

_'writing'_

* * *

Chapter 1 - "the Clothes" - **Start.**

The room was quiet and dark, a small candle lit in the corner. There was a young man, no older than 19, hunched over on the corner of his small bed, in obvious thought. In the candlelight, his normally "sunny" features had an ominous orange glow that would bring anyone to believe he was, in fact, a very gloomy person. But it was just the opposite-he was very well known for his bright attitude that was brought out even more by his features.

He had lightly tanned, firm skin, showing off his evident, but not-too-large muscles. Although, upon closer examination, one could see that his body was curvaceous-feminine even. He was tall, his blond hair slightly longer than what he had in his childhood-but still just as messy. The hair framed his face splendidly, showing off his (pleasantly) thin face-allowing his whisker-scarred cheeks to stand out all the more. A truly noticeable feature of the blond was his trademark orange ninja outfit-not a very... _usual _color among ninjas. But, if somebody were to meet him and be asked what was most noticeable-they would undoubtedly point out his bright cerulean eyes and cheery personality.

The blonde man grunted, seemingly answering his own thoughts before adjusting to a new position-lying down on his back on the bed. He broke out of his trance and turned to the room he called "home."

It was a small room, the walls were a dingy brown-the wallpaper peeling away in many more places than one. There was a small window in the middle of the far wall-a small tarp covering the hole of the broken glass. There was a mini-fridge on top of the counters next to the window. Across from the window, a small table with a picture frame sat in the middle of the room and across from that-the bed that he currently lay upon. There were thin sheets covering the bed, surprisingly clean but not very warming during the winter.

He sighed in resignation, a frown slowly slipping onto his face. He sat up and crawled to the edge of the bed. He felt a small shiver run up his spine as he gingerly touched his bare feet to the cold floor, and shuffled to the right to open a door. He stepped into his (even smaller) bathroom and turned to the shower, seemingly torn and at a loss of what to do. He shrugged and began pulling off his clothes. The ninja suit, the metal protection garment, the strap-on weights, his undershirt, and lastly his black boxers, revealing his previously mentioned curvaceous, yet muscular body and large scars going across his back. If one were to apply chakra to his stomach, it would reveal a large black marking, starting at his navel and spiraling outwards-a seal.

He stepped into the shower and placed his hand hesitantly on the handle. He lightly bit his tongue to prepare for what was to come. After a few deep breaths he turned the handle-signaling ice cold water to splash all over his body. Goosebumps immediately rose all over his skin, his body shaking-protesting against the cursed water. He quickly began to lather himself with soap and rinsed off, before repeating the same process with shampoo in his hair.

After he was finished, he turned the shower handle back the opposite way and grabbed a towel hanging from a nail on the wall. He wrapped it around his lower region and turned to the dirty mirror, pressing a hand with gathered chakra to his lower abdomen. He stared at the seal in the mirror-the cause of most of the horrors in his short eighteen-and-a-half-year-old life. He picked his clothes up off of the floor with a sigh and returned to the previous room.

Now that his body was moist from the shower, it seemed to be even colder to him. He suppressed a shiver and turned to sit down on his bed-tossing his clothes on the end and returning to his thinking. He stayed deep in thought for a few moments and then growled, breaking himself out of his thoughts. He looked to the corner of the room, where a small pile of (obviously) dirty clothes were and stared for a few minutes. He then stood up and turned to his clothes and sighed as if he had just made heart-breaking decision.

He dropped his towel and quickly got back into his clothes, pulling them on in the opposite order: black boxers, undershirt, strap-on weights, metal protection garment, and the ninja suit. He stopped again, then turned to the bathroom and stepped in momentarily. He looked in the mirror at his own frowning reflection and spoke quietly, "I suppose my mask is slipping..."

All of a sudden, his head snapped to the doorway of the bathroom, trying to focus on the house's main doorway. As if he hadn't been so depressed before he turned back to the mirror and smiled as largely as possible and then ran to the door, opening it with fake glee. A few feet from the door stood a startled kunoichi who _was_ planning on knocking on the door but was greeted by a door slamming open.

She wore a red 2-piece ninja suit with circle markings in white. She had on the regular ninja shoes, exposing her toes and also wore fingerless gloves-a metal material was attached to the knuckles of the gloves to pack an extra punch. She had bright pink hair that was nearly to her shoulders and pulled back by her forehead protector bearing the leaf sign of Konoha. Her emerald green eyes were widened in obvious surprise, quickly turning into a light glare.

"Damnit! You know I hate it when you do that, Naruto," she said. He stepped closer and rubbed against her side in a cat-like way.

"Gomen, gomen, Sakura-chan. I just recognized your chakra and decided to meet you halfway!"

She smiled, "yeah, yeah," she stopped and frowned slightly. "Tsunade-shishou(1) wants you. You have a mission." He stopped his "rubbing" and frowned, quickly turning back to a smile. Sakura noticed the frown. "A mission, eh? About time she got me one!" he smiled even larger. Sakura timidly smiled back then looked behind Naruto.

"Naruto, you're wearing the same suit twice in a row, aren't you?" she looked up at him.

"Eh? Wha..? Oh... uh... it's okay, Sakura-chan. Really!"

She frowned. "No, it's not Naruto. I'm going to take you to Tsunade-shishou, but first, we're going to my house to wash your clothes. You can wear the clothes I bought for you last time."

"Huh?! I don't want to! They aren't orange!" Naruto pouted. "Too bad, Naruto." she stepped past him and grabbed the small pile of dirty clothes that she had looked at over Naruto's shoulder, "you go through too much crap already, and I'm _not _going to be the shitty friend that just watches."

He sighed, then smiled. "Thanks, Sakura." She turned and looked at him surprised. He had never said her name without the -chan at the end, and... the way he had _said _it. She shivered at the thought of the deep, sensual voice. She faced away from him, hiding her small blush. "Well, ah-ahem. Get on your shoes and let's go, then." She turned and looked at him, even more surprised. He stood up and pointed to his now covered feet. "You must be zoning out, Sakura-chan. I already put them on while you were staring at my pile of clothes!"

She chuckled nervously. "Heheh, yeah... well, let's go." She strode past him and motioned for him to follow. He obliged and walked out of the door, turning to lock it with a key. "As if I'm actually going to need it..." he mumbled. He turned and stuffed his key in his pocket, then took off running after Sakura. She smiled and turned, running quickly towards her house, Naruto quickly and easily following.

* * *

Sakura stepped into her small, empty house, motioning for Naruto to follow. He slowly stepped in behind her, shutting the large wooden door behind himself. He looked around quickly-it had been a while since he had last been here. Sakura took off her shoes, slipping on the small white house shoes and went down the hallway, leaving Naruto to reminisce.

The last time he had been here was after he had been critically injured while chasing after his best friend/rival. He had been ambushed by a large group of ninjas that were evidentally also searching for his old teammate and best friend.

There was a small area for shoes to be placed and a hallway extending further. He stepped out of his shoes, pulling on the extra pair of wabaki(2), especially for guests. He stepped into the hallway and looked to his right. It was a large open room-the living room. It had a "homey" feeling. There was a small couch with it's back facing the hallway. There was a coffee table in front of it with what he assumed to be mission papers on top of it. There were two small windows on the far wall and a closet on the side.

If he were to take a few steps further down the hallway and look to his left, he would see a small but elegant kitchen with counters surrounding the walls, a large refrigerator, a sink and eating utensils neatly stacked on the side. Further down the hall is Sakura's bedroom, with a large bed, table, and dresser. Attached to the bedroom is a small bathroom, with a bathtub/shower, toilet, and sink.

He turned and strode into the living room, sitting on the couch and stared at the coffee table. He sat there deep in thought, waiting for his old teammate to come out with the promised clothing. After a few moments in thought, he heard a door being shut and footsteps coming down the hallway. He turned to see Sakura holding a large bundle of blue and black-what he assumed to be the clothing.

"Here, Naruto. These are the ones I recently bought you. You really should keep them..." she tossed them into Naruto's lap. " I'll wash your other clothes and give them back to you later. I'm going to be making tea in the kitchen, so hurry up and change."

She turned and went down the hall, into the kitchen. He sighed and stood up, allowing the clothes to fall onto the couch. "Why does she keep trying to get me into dark colors..? She knows I like orange..." he mumbled.

He quickly stripped and unfolded the bundle of clothes. There was a blue top, with a few hidden pockets, a pair of black ninja pants, and a black vest to hold any small weapons, poisons, etc.

He pulled them on quickly, picked up his dirty ninja suit he had just stripped out of and turned on his heels, starting for the kitchen. He stopped at the doorway and leaned against the counter, watching Sakura pour the steamy liquid into the cups. She looked up and blushed, looking down in the blink of an eye. "It looks good on you... really good."

The clothes hugged his frame closely, showing his nicely but not over-muscled build. Just by looking, one could tell that he had strong legs and arms... the muscles were quite evident. The blue color of the shirt brought out his eyes and the black of the pants and vest brought out the fox-like scars on his cheeks. All in all, he looked _very _good.

He raised a curious eyebrow and smirked. "Oh, really? Is _that_ the reason why you keep trying to get me into these wretched dark clothes?"

It was her turn to raise an eyebrow. "'Wretched'? You think that blue and black is 'wretched'? What about that orange you always wear..? I find that absolutely 'wretched'." She smirked and put down the teapot.

"Yeah, yeah. I've heard that from many more people than just you, so don't start the 'horrid orange' topic with me." He picked up one of the cups and lightly blew on the liquid, then took a large swig and smiled.

"Well, I suppose we had better get going before Tsunade-baachan(3) decides that she wants to 'punish' me for being late-and I do _not _like to be punished by her."

Sakura smiled, "Yeah, I don't think anybody wants to be punched into a wall by her." She drank her tea quickly and put her cup in the sink.

Naruto shivered, recalling his last 'punishment' that had ended with him being in the hospital for a day. "Tell me about it."

Sakura took Naruto's cup and put it beside her own in the sink. She took his dirty clothes from him and put it in her room. She came out of her door shutting it quietly. "Let's go." She walked past him, down the hall, to the area in front of the door and pulled off her house shoes. He followed and did the same, pulling on his ninja shoes before she had finished pulling on her own. He walked out the door and turned, waiting for Sakura to lock the door. She finished locking the door and started off for the Hokage tower, Naruto closely behind.

**-Chapter End-**

(1) "shishou"- Japanese; means "master" as in master/apprentice

(2) "wabaki" - Indoor shoes used in Japan

(3) "baachan" - Japanese; used as a means of referring to an elderly person, an expression that Tsunade hates being used on herself

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Read & Review!


	2. The Mission

**Disclaimer: **Naruto is not mine. If it _was, _(as we all wish it would be) I wouldn't be tortured into wondering what the hell is gonna happen next for a week. So there!

**Warning:**

Violence

Language

Sexual Content

Possible Spoilers

Yaoi

**Key:**

"talking"

_thinking/talking to kyuubi_

_**kyuubi talking in his mind**_

_'writing'_

**

* * *

**

Chapter 2 - "the Mission" - **Start.**

They had arrived fairly quickly and slowed to a stop outside of the Hokage tower. Sakura and Naruto walked to the two Shinobi(1) standing guard in front of the large doorway. The two ninjas had white, animal-designed masks covering their features-they were most certainly Anbu(2). They had the typical ninja outfit-the vest, pants and shirt, and undoubtedly many, many hidden pockets with deadly weapons.

Sakura nodded to the two and strode forward, ignoring the two nods she had received in return. Naruto slowly followed, a bit uneasy as to what the Hokage wanted. Sakura made her way down the nearly empty hallway and made her way to the stairs leading up to the Hokage's office. They walked in silence and halted upon a large, wooden door guarded by two more Anbu.

The Anbu had already noticed the two arriving ninja's presences and stepped aside without so much as a glance. Sakura turned the knob and stepped through, with Naruto close behind.

* * *

I was really nervous when I stepped through. I had an _idea _of what the mission was about, but I didn't really know the details. What really made me aggravated though, is when we stepped into the office, the _lady Hokage_ was taking a nice little nap with her many sake bottles littering many areas of the room. Everywhere was cluttered-there was either a sake bottle or paperwork (which I assume was untouched) in nearly every free space that there could have been.

_Why am I not surprised? She really needs to ease up on the sake-the council isn't exactly ecstatic with the idea of her being Hokage already... _I snapped out of my thoughts when a large pink blur flew past my leg followed by the shout of "LADY HOKAGE!"

I turned to the loud voice and was met with Shizune-"lady Hokage's" personal assistant. Her short black hair had grown an inch or two longer in the past couple years and her black eyes had become a bit more dull. She smiled upon noticing us. "Sorry, I didn't think anyone would be here..."

"It's fine", I answered with a large grin. _If Shizune is here, then... _I turned my attention to the desk-the area that the pink blur had been heading towards. Sure enough, when I looked at the leg of the desk I saw Shizune's loyal ninja pig Ton-Ton in all his clothed glory. _Or is it a she? I mean, it _does_ have a pearl necklace around it's neck..._

While I was trying to decide whether the pig was a male or female, the pig trotted to Shizune and allowed itself to be picked up and Sakura had evidently stepped forward and shaken the Hokage in an attempt to wake her. I looked up in time to see Sakura easily dodge what I assumed was a very powerful punch. _Obviously a reward for the person waking her. I really wouldn't want to be the one to try and wake her up..._I was again lost in my not-so-likeable thoughts and fantasies of being hurled through a wall due to awakening my drunken Hokage from her slumber.

"Eh? Naruto..? What are you doing here, you brat..?" she trailed off trying to regain her thoughts.

I sighed and responded, my desire to keep her from beating the shit out of me making me choose my wording carefully. Easy enough. "You sent Sakura to come and get me for a mission-stop getting drunk, you old hag!" My eyes widened when I had realized I said that aloud.

Fuck.

Tsunade was immediately up-and very pissed, might I add-and instantly pulling back an arm and sending it forward-with a chakra-filled burst.

Next thing I know, I'm seeing a feminine-but very, _very_, intimidating fist and... well, on my back, in the middle of rubble, groaning in pain. _Courtesy of the chakra..._ I scowled.

"Sheesh, baa-chan! I didn't mean to-it was a habit!" After realizing I had said another no-no word, I immediately backed up, my eyes wide, and my arms in front of me to lessen the pain to come.

She twitched and started forward, making me close my eyes tightly. When the pain didn't come, I opened my eyes. I jumped back, startled that her angry face was a mere foot away from my own.

"Then, _break it_, gaki(3)," she said in a deadly tone, daring anybody to speak up against her. She stood up straight again and ran a hand through her hair, growling in frustration.

You see, after all these years, I have mostly grown out of my "prankster" lifestyle. Sure, every once in a while I would pull a prank of blowing up small statues and doing random graffiti on people's houses for old time's sake, but I just found it to be... _annoying_, I suppose you could say. I had to stop calling Tsunade "baa-chan", to avoid the large hospital bills that were being sent to my house. I was always in trouble back then, but I didn't do it because I found it fun. Truthfully, I was only like that to gain attention-and after _he _left, I had realized, no matter what I do, they won't recognize me for who I am. I will always be an outsider. Another person. Another _thing._

A _monster._

The _Kyuubi._

_**Dont go all emo on me now, boy.**_

_Kyuubi. What the hell do you want?_

_**What do I want? Hell, you know what I want. I want out of this damned cage to wreak havoc on the cursed village that had their leader imprison me. Not to mention, I'm stuck with you in the time being-stop being emo. It's annoying as hell-even more so than when you are hiding behind that delirious and utterly idiotic mask of yours.**_

I scowled. _Shut the hell up. I don't give a damn what you do and don't want. _

_**Oh yes, almighty container of mine, that is exactly why you asked me 'what the hell I want'.**_

My scowl deepened. _Alright, fine. Just shut the hell up. I don't care _anymore, _happy?_

_**Ecstatic.**_

I was so absorbed in my argument with the damned furball-Kyuubi growled at that-that I didn't notice until now that Tsunade was frowning with a mildly concerned look gracing her features.

"I'm fine baa--Tsunade-sama, just a bit tired. I'm... just zoning out a bit lately." I stretched and faked a yawn as if to prove my point. _**What a lovely excuse. I'm sure **_**everybody**_** in this room bought it. **_Kyuubi scoffed in my mind, irritating me further. _I thought I told you to shut the hell up! And I've been acting for a pretty large amount of my life-I'm pretty sure I can pass off talking to my 'mind-roomie' as zoning out. _I felt him smirk in my mind, willing myself to keep from scowling.

If Tsunade noticed I was talking to Kyuubi, then she must have just brushed it off. I watched her as she strode back to her desk. She still had her blonde hair-although it was slightly longer. Her honey-brown eyes were still fierce, ready and daring people to challenge her. She was currently wearing her usual attire-the greyish robes tied by a sash wrapping around her waist, the blue-black pants that ended a little further up from her ankles, the green over-jacket and black heels giving her a few inches to add to her height.

She walked around her desk, picked up the chair-that had most likely fallen over from her rush to pulverize me-and plopped down in it, earning an angry squeak from the squishy black chair. She rested her elbows on her desk and rested her chin on her entwined hands. She motioned for me to get up-out of the rubble, might I add- and to sit in the small couch a few feet in front of her desk.

When I was sure she was no longer hostile, I stood up, dusted myself off, and walked to the cluttered couch in front of me. There wasn't even enough room to sit. _Figures. _

I extended my arms and was about to push and paused. Turning my head in her direction, I raised an eyebrow, silently asking permission. She shrugged. Success! Grinning, I swiped my arm across the couch, sending all of the sake bottles, paperwork and other random things to the floor with a clatter.

I plopped myself down and turned eagerly to her. Sakura made her way toward me.

She smiled lightly at me. "Alright, first thing is first." She turned to Shizune, "Shizune"

Shizune looked slightly startled, but answered nonetheless. "Yes, lady Hokage?" She unconsciously clutched her beloved pig to her tighter when she probably figured what she was going to say.

"Get somebody to clean and repair that broken wall." She gestured to the wall that I had been embedded in a few minutes earlier. I shivered at the very recent memory and looked down at my arms-noticing a few cuts and bruises that I hadn't noticed when I got up. They were already beginning to close up and fade. _Healing already, eh, Kyuubi?_

_**Shut up. Having these minor scrapes will miraculously manage to hinder your already-pathetic attempt at being a ninja.**_

I didn't bother hiding my scowl that time, and turned to look at Sakura who had sat down next to me, sitting politely with her legs crossed and her hands in her lap. She smiled at me and turned to Tsunade who was currently smirking devilishly at a frowning Shizune. Shizune sighed and turned. "Bye Naruto-kun, bye Sakura!"

She headed out the door and shut it behind her. Tsunade then turned to us, her face serious and guilty.

"Well, Naruto. You probably know what this 'mission' is about, correct?"

"Yeah," I replied solemnly. "I'm pretty sure I know."

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

I was sitting alone in my small apartment, only able to see slight outlines of things due to the candle lit in the corner. My bed was uncomfortable-even when I was only sitting on the end of it. I was thinking hard. Really hard.

_How annoying._

_**What's wrong, Kit? Depressed?**_

_Shut up, Kyuubi. I don't want to talk to you right now._

_**You never want to talk to me. It's boring. I know you're thinking about him. You always are when you're this depressed.**_

_Huh. The evil, ferocious, hated, almighty Kyuubi is able to sense when a 'pathetic human' is depressed. How odd._

_**Shut up, brat. I'm just pointing it out.**_

Kyuubi seemed to grumble... something about "obnoxious emo kids" or something of the sort.

_**Well, you know, you're probably going to get a mission pretty soon. You'll be able to find him and bring him back to this cruddy village. You should cheer up-you're reeaaaaaaallly annoying like this. **_

_Kami_(4)._.. is the legendary Kyuubi trying to _comfort_ me?_

_**Shut up. Like I said-you're annoying. Plus, this cage is aggravating-it isn't exactly helping that I'm in a tiny, cramped up place that is in yet**_** another**_** tiny cramped up place.**_

I grunted and layed back on the bed, positioning my arms behind my head to prop it up some. I turned and looked at my run down apartment, _no kidding. I guess I get what you mean._

_**Yeah, yeah. Go take a shower. You're dirty. Hell-**_**I'm **_**starting to feel dirty. **_

I sat up and sighed in resignation. _Yeah, yeah. Just shut up. _I shivered when my feet touched the cold ground. _Damned furball._

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

Tsunade smiled sadly and leaned forward over her desk. "Yes, Naruto. You should know... that he killed Orochimaru." My eyes widened at that. "What?" I asked incredulously.

"Yes-Orochimaru's body was found with severe burns. It looks like he was killed by a chidori."

I leaned back and closed my eyes. _He killed Orochimaru...? _I sighed and opened my eyes, looking at her. She was obviously watching my movements closely to make sure I didn't react badly.

"Okay, continue. What else?" I asked.

She hesitated for a moment and continued. "He has gathered a small team to go after Itachi. He has 3 teammates. First..." she tossed a folder at me, forcing me to catch it if I didn't want it jabbing me in the eye. Frowning, I opened it up and picked up the top sheet, looking at the statistics and then the small picture in the corner of the page.

It was the picture of a strange boy. He had aqua-blue hair and teal eyes. What really caught the eye was his teeth. They were jagged. _Shark-like._

Tsunade spoke up, "His name is Suigetsu. Probably around the age of 19. He is a missing nin from the Bloody mist,"-I looked up at that-"and he was a kohai(5) of the jounin Zabuza."

I frowned at the familiar name-memories randomly waltzing into my head. The bridge, Inari, _Haku... _

Someone coughed next to me, startling me out of my memories. I smiled sheepishly when I remembered that Sakura was there. I handed the top page that I had been looking at to her. I then pulled the second page close to my face, examining the statistics trailing down the page. I again, looked at the picture and was met with a relatively normal looking young man.

He had slightly long, messy brown hair, spiking out in all directions. He was a normal color-halfway between pale and tan-an appealing skin color. He looked sort of... _zoned out. A look I easily recognize. _The only thing strange was... he had a golden yellow _bird_ perched on his finger.

_Huh. Doesn't exactly seem like the friendly animal-liking type._

Tsunade spoke, "Juugo. In his lower 20's. We don't know his origins and... he is the source of the curse seal that Orochimaru used." My head snapped up quickly. "The origin..?" I questioned.

"Yes, there were a few of Orochimaru's research notes salvaged... most of his research was burned to the ground along with his hideout-" I raised a brow."and we found a little bit of information on him. He evidentally has some kind of... _enzyme_ in his blood. We're still not sure about it..."she trailed off and turned back. "Anyways!"

I handed the sheet on Juugo to Sakura who began to examine it herself. I turned to the small stack of papers left in my lap and held up the first one. "Ka...rin.. Karin." I read and repeated myself-allowing myself to make sense of the name.

"Yes," Tsunade answered, "Karin. Around age 18, from the village of Sound. Orochimaru used her as a guinea pig in his experiments."

I ran my eyes over her statistics and then focused on her picture. She had redish purple long hair, spiking oddly. It first spiked downwards in front for bangs and then slightly to the side in the back. There were red-rimmed glasses perched on the bridge on her nose, her lips scrunched back in what looked to be a feral snarl.

I scrunched my nose at her picture. I could tell that I wouldn't like her. I handed the sheet to Sakura and watched for her reaction. She scowled at the picture like the girl in it had done her some horrible wrong. I mentally laughed and shrugged. _Hell, she probably views the red-head as competetion... _I frowned at that thought.

I turned my attention back to the folder in my lap. One more statistic sheet was left with random sheets behind it, describing the mission in detail. My frowned deepened when I saw the last sheet. Sakura was watching me as I mentally struggled to reign in the chaos that was erupting throughout my mind.

The last picture was of a boy ever so slightly older than me. He had blue-black hair, his bangs nearly shoulder length and naturally spiking outwards in the back. _At least I _think _it's natural..._ He had endless black eyes and high cheek bones. An absolutely gorgeous man. I smiled sadly.

_**You're going to bring him back, Kit. You're going to stop this ridiculously annoying emo streak of yours and bring your friend back.**_

_Yeah, Kyuubi. I'm going to bring him back. My best friend and rival..._

_Sasuke..._

**-Chapter End-**

(1) "shinobi" - another word for ninja

(2) "Anbu" - elite ninja squad, the highest rank next to Hokage, usually used for protecting Hokage

(3) "gaki" - Japanese; "kid", slightly rude or arrogant

(4) "kami" - Japanese; "god"

(5) "kohai" - Japanese term; for "underclassman" or "in a lower class", something along those lines.

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Read and Review, please!!


	3. The Preparations

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Naruto-cuz if I did, Naruto would say "dattebayo" less. XD

**Warning:**

Violence

Language

Sexual Content

Possible Spoilers

Yaoi

**Key:**

"talking"

_thinking/talking to kyuubi _

_**kyuubi talking in his mind**_

_'writing'_

**

* * *

**

Chapter 3 - "the Preparations" - **Start.**

Naruto exited the Hokage tower, clutching the folder of statistics and details at his side, heading towards the heart of the village. Sakura followed quietly behind him, allowing him to think about the mission that was rapidly approaching. She was worried for Naruto. Ever since Sasuke left, Naruto had been obsessed with getting him back-to keep his promise with Sakura-and he was willing to use any form of self-sacrifice to do so.

Frankly, it scared her. She had come to think of him as a brother. Ever since she had found out that he was the Kyuubi vessel, she had realized that he had been alone, abandoned and hated for reasons that were far beyond his control. She had become protective of him, and wanted to see him happy-see him smiling.

But, she had also begun to notice small details-like the fact that his eyes were no longer as bright as they used to be when he smiled. He no longer laughed without it actually sounding _genuine._He seemed to be hiding quite a lot-but she didn't want to question him about it out of fear that it would upset Naruto more. Out of fear it would make him _sad._

She never wanted to see Naruto sad. She had always known him as the peppy, bubbly annoying boy who was naturally loud. It was disturbing to see him quiet.

Sakura snapped back to reality when Naruto let out a small (nearly undetectable) sigh. She saw him frowning out of the corner of her eye and then the frown suddenly turned into a smile.

A clearly _fake_ smile.

"Hey, Sakura-chan. I'm going to go back to my apartment so that I can prepare for the mission. I'll see you at the village entrance at sunrise, okay?"

She smiled politely. "Yeah. Catch you later, Naruto."

He turned to leave but was stopped by Sakura's voice. "Oh wait, Naruto! I'll have your clothes cleaned and returned to you after the mission, ok?"

He turned his head a bit towards her and smiled, nodding. He turned back and continued on, heading towards his home.

Sakura sighed and frowned, worry etching her features, "I hope everything is going to turn out alright.."

**

* * *

**

Naruto stopped in front of his apartment and looked up. It was still pretty bright out-about to be sundown. He tilted his head down a bit and observed the outside of his small apartment. It was a cheap building, made from who-knows-how-old bricks that had faded from (what he assumed was) a bright red to a dull orange-yellow.

There were small windows, about 7 out of every 10 were either broken, shattered- or strangely- ripped out of the wall. The windows that weren't violated or vandalized were grimy or had spray paint covering them-shrouding the inside in mystery.

The apartment itself was in a questionable neighborhood, not exactly on the best side of the village. It had many different types of people living in or around the apartment. Yes, quite the variety. You had your druggies, your failures, your rapists and outcasts.

He frowned, finally dropping his once-nearly-unnoticeable facade. He stepped inside the cracked wooden doors that led to the main hallway and started to his room. He hung his head down low, avoiding the disgusted looks of the people passing by. He came to his door and flung it open, stepping inside and swinging it closed to keep what little privacy he had.

**

* * *

**

I stepped inside the dirty place in which I called home and immediately sat down on my bed, tossing the mission statistics and details onto the small table next to my bed. _Well, this is just lovely, isn't it? I've been waiting for this mission forever and now I'm having second thoughts. How can that be? I've been wanting to save him for years now... and now... now... _

_**You're scared he doesn't want to come home with you.**_

_Kyuubi! No--_

_**You are kit. Like you said, you've been wanting him back for years and have been constantly trying to do so. But, every time you meet him, he either tries to kill you, ignores you, or specifically tells you to leave.**_

_Great way to cheer me up, furball. Yes, I know that. I really do. But, I don't really give a damn. He's coming back whether he wants to or not. I'll drag him if I have to-but... I guess I'm scared of rejection again..._

Kyuubi seems to raise a questioning brow at this.

_**Rejection? You make it sound as if it's a love confession!**_

I growled and got off of my bed. _It is _not_ a love confession. I really want him back. He was the first one to actually befriend me-the first one to look at me as if I were human. It really hurts when he isn't here. I feel like I have to be with him to be someone._

_**Yeah, yeah. Don't go all sappy on me, kit. Aren't you supposed to be preparing for a mission? Get busy, or you will either fall asleep or lose your track of mind.**_

Hey! _I'm _not_ an idiot._

_**I never said you were kit, I never said you were. **_Kyuubi shrugged mentally in his mind and said softly, _**although you probably just proved it...**_

"Shut up!" I said aloud. I dropped to my knees and began shuffling through my belongings under my bed muttering about stupid killer foxes that thought they were all high and mighty...

I pulled out an old, worn-out back pack that I had been using for my ninja missions for years. Standing up, I opened the pack and looked through it. There were still a few bandages and medical supplies that could be used for the up coming mission. I had left some of my kunai, shuriken, poison needles, and mask in there.

Yes, I had a mask-meaning I was an ANBU.

I had been ANBU for a couple of years now-since I was 16 years old. In fact, I was one of the youngest ANBU there were. (It took a year and a half for the council to finally agree for the "demon boy" to be allowed in the high ranks of ANBU) The thing is, I was mainly an ANBU by name. I didn't like the killing needed for the job-never have, never will. I killed when it was necessary and when sent on missions, I tried to find other ways to resolve the problems.

_Heh, I wonder what Sasuke would think if he knew that I was an ANBU..? _That_ is something I would like to see..._ I thought as I held the white and red fox mask in front of me to examine it.

_**Yeah. It would be fun to see the Uchiha freak out. **_**If **_**he does. I wish he would...**_

_No kidding there, furball. None at all. _

I picked up the stack of papers that I had recently tossed aside and began to flip through them, passing the papers that were seen and studied earlier on in the Hokage's office. I stopped on the mission details going through what was to be done in my head.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

I shifted in my seat. The lumpy couch was getting uncomfortable, fast. Sakura glanced at me quickly from her seat next to me, trying to read my expression once again. The Hokage looked at her hands and began to speak again.

"Alright, Naruto. First, I'm going to need to let you know something. There are two reasons for this mission. First of all-we heard a couple of rumors that the Uchiha and his nakama(1) were traveling in rain country, looking for the eldest Uchiha. I know that if I withheld this information from you, when you finally found out, you would spaz and take off after him by yourself." She chuckled to herself, obviously remembering quite a similar event that had taken place a few months ago, resulting in me being lost in a desert for nearly a month and a half. I scowled at the memory. I had never thought that sand could be such an annoying sight until I had the delight of being buried under it 5 times a day for over a month.

"Secondly, I... need you to stay away from the village for a while." I looked up at this, surprise evident on my face. I opened my mouth to speak but was silenced by the Hokages hand being held up, motioning for me to wait.

"The council has been trying to use the excuse of your... experience in the sand those few months ago... to get you banished from the village."

My jaw dropped open, all words that were once ready to be spilled out lost, leaving nothing but incoherent stutters. "Bu--! Wh--! Ho--?!"

The Hokage scowled. "Yes, that was my reaction, too. They said all of this ridiculous stuff about you being a nuisance and an endangerment to the people. It was--! Was--! Absolutely infuriating. I nearly castrated each and every one of them on the spot. But, I must say, my control was to be proud of at the time..." She started mumbling something too low to be heard.

She looked up at me and smiled softly though. "Don't worry, Naruto. They aren't going to win without a fight. And who better to fight them than a legendary sannin and Hokage? It would just be much easier on me if they knew you were doing your missions, not causing trouble and... well, you were just away for them to cool down a bit. I promise you, I won't let them win."

My scowl lightened to a small frown. "Okay then, baa-chan. Explain the exact mission details to me."

Her smile brightened a bit. "Naruto, Sakura"-I just remembered Sakura was sitting next to me on the horrible, lumpy couch-"you are to track down and find Uchiha Sasuke and try to bring him back with minimal injuries-that includes you and the Uchiha. You are going to have 7 other shinobi joining you in the mission to ensure that you, Naruto are safe from the Akatsuki and given proper backup. The maximum mission time is one year, with at least 2 mission reports per month. Naruto, you are to bring your ANBU mask for emergency purposes and are expected to properly lead them, am I clear?"

I stood up. "Yes, Hokage-sama. I will make sure that this mission is a success and will return as soon as possible." I bowed politely and turned to Sakura, helping her up off the couch. Sakura went to the door with me following. Before shutting the door I heard Tsunade whisper softly, "be careful. Good luck, and godspeed, Naruto..." I smiled and leaned on the now-shut door. "Of course, baa-chan. How can I not be careful and try to return home when I've got someone like you waiting for me..?" I turned my thoughts back to the mission at hand, passing Sakura who was holding open the main doors of the Hokage tower for me.

_I'm scared. I want to go after Sasuke and yet the thought also terrifies me..._

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

I sighed and tossed the papers back on to the small table next to my long-forgotten hitai-te(2).

I turned to my counter and opened up the small, rotted, wooden door. In the back there was a large, metal box with a seal on it. Performing the proper hand signs quickly a poof of smoke appeared followed by the click of the top opening. I pulled it closer to me and took out it's contents-a small dagger, some of my most important scrolls, some of Sakura's long-lasting medicine, more ninja weapons and lastly-a hitai-te with a large scratch gouged across the Konoha leaf symbol.

_Sasuke... I will come after you. I made a promise to Sakura and myself that I was going to bring you back, and I don't go back on my word. No more hesitations. Just move forward._

I shoved the items from the metal box into my faded backpack, keeping hold of the old, scratched hitai-te. I closed the backpack, and tossed it to the side. I kicked off my ninja shoes, pulled off my new blue top (courtesy of Sakura) and flopped down onto my bed, staring at the forehead protector still in my hand.

I drifted to sleep with one last thought swirling in my head.

_I swear I'll bring you back home, Sasuke. Just wait._

**-Chapter End-**

(1) - "nakama" - japanese for "comrade" or, on a looser term "friend"

(2) - "hitai-te" - it's the forehead protector! (it says it in there somewhere close to the end. Like, the last paragraph..)

XxXxXxXxX

So, read and rate.


	4. The Gates

**Disclaimer****: **I do not own Naruto! I do not draw nearly as good as Masashi Kishimoto! (Although I wish I did...)

**Warning:**

Violence

Language

Sexual Content

Possible Spoilers

Yaoi

**Key:**

"talking"

_thinking/talking to kyuubi_

_**kyuubi talking in his mind**_

_'writing'_

**

* * *

**

Chapter 4 - "the Gates" - **Start.**

The night was slowly starting to draw to a close as the sun's rays began to spread across the horizon, threatening all of daybreak. In the beat up apartment on the shady part of town, our favorite blond groaned from under his thin sheets, pulling them down past his scarred cheeks, showing his handsome face and even-more-messy-than-usual-hair. His eyes slowly fluttered open, revealing their clear, cerulean depths.

He turned over toward the window, staring out of the small tear in the corner of the small tarp covering the windows gaping hole. He could have _sworn _he was forgetting something. Something important. He paused, seemingly at a loss. There was silence.

1 second.

2 seconds.

3 seconds.

4.

5.

6.

7, 8, 9.

10 seconds passed by until...

"I'M LATE!!" he screeched, jumping out of bed. He stood and ran over the needed supplies in his head. _Well, let's see... I prepared my pack last night... uh... I need... a shower! Yes, a shower! But, it's already too late..! Alright, getting dressed. _He looked down at his body, seeing that he still had on yesterday's garment's. _Okay then... I guess I could make do with these. But, I haven't got anything to change into..._

He shrugged off his thoughts, deciding he could buy some clothes at a small store on the way to the main gates and take a bath in a nearby river when they left for the mission. He turned to the bedside table and yanked his hitai-te off of it, hastily tying it around his forehead. He pulled on his mission-pack and paused, looking to the floor next to his bed. Lying on the floor was the scratched hitai-te, evidently dropped during his light slumber.

He picked it up and stared at it for a moment, deep in thought about it's previous owner. After wrapping up his thoughts, he shoved it into the breast pocket of his vest; over his heart. He turned to the entrance, pulled on his ninja shoes, opened the door, and stepped out.

**

* * *

**

I stepped out and was turning in place when I felt my foot bump something. _Wha..?_ I looked down and saw a small wooden basket with dark materials inside. There was a piece of white, folded parchment tied to the handle of the basket with a fancily scrawled '_Naruto.'_

I kneeled next to the basket and yanked off the paper, opening it to read it's contents. It read:

_'Dear Naruto,_

_I was getting my supplies ready for our mission when I realized that I wasn't going to return your clothes until after the mission due to the lack of time to wash them. I went through my drawers and decided that I would go ahead and give you the other clothes I had bought for you so that you would have something to wear during the mission. Plus, knowing you, you would have just re-worn the clothes I gave you yesterday.'_

I stopped momentarily. _Hey! I resent that! I _was_ going to buy some more clothes for the mission!! _I stopped my inner-whining and continued.

_'You had better take them with you and wear them, got it? _

_Oh, and... I know Kakashi has been wearing off on you but... you had better get to the gate on time-or I'll kick your ass.'_

I grimaced. Just a _little _too late for that.

_'Meet you at the main gates!_

_Love, _

_Sakura.'_

I sighed and pulled my pack off of my shoulder, shoving the clothing inside the large pocket, not even bothering to look at the other clothes. I knew that there wasn't any orange, I would have automatically spotted it. _Damn, why can't she understand that there has to be at least a _little _bit of orange?_

I looked up to the window at the far end of the hall. The sun had started getting brighter. _Wait... brighter? _

My eyes widened

_SHIT! I'M LATE!!_

By the looks of the brightness of the sun, I was probably about 15-30 minutes late-quite a noticeable amount of time.

I shrugged my pack back on, hastily opened my door, tossed the wooden basket into my apartment, slammed the door, and turned.

_Well, I'd better get going, eh?_

_**No shit, kit. Hey... I rhymed!**_

_Shut up, Kyuubi! I don't want your opinion or... rhymage. If that's even a word..._

_**Hey, just interjecting. I **_**am **_**after all the one who has to heal your bones every time that pink-haired witch sends you flying through the wall.**_

_... Point taken. But, seriously. Shut up for a while._

_**Fine, fine. **_

I took off running to the end of the hall. I jumped down the stairs and ignored the woman with skimpy clothes who had miraculously found a way to keep her tongue entwined with another woman's, scowl and simultaneously glare at me as I flew by.

I threw open the door, and ran down the block, dodging other sketchy figures in the neighborhood. _Hmm. Maybe it would be fun to tally the types of people I run by. I should make it a kind of game. _I ran faster and faster, going further and further down the road.

_There goes a prostitute._

_A gangster._

_Another prostitute._

_A drug dealer._

_An ex-shinobi._

_Another prostitute._

_Ex-shinobi._

I ran past a small group of 3. They had baggy clothes, shifty eyes, and hidden weapons.

_3... rapists?_

_Another prostitute._

_Prostitute._

_Prostitute._

_Prostit--_

_Jesus! How many prostitutes are there?! This is getting to be kinda... sad._

_**Heh. You should hire one. You need to get your mind off of things... relieve some stress. **_

_Shut up, you ass! Like hell I'm gonna give my virginity to a damned prostitute so that I could 'get my mind off of things.' I'd rather lose it to someone I love, thank you._

_**Like that pink-haired woman?**_

_NO! I love her as a sister! I've never liked her like that! You know that! That's just disgusting... EW! IT'S LIKE INCEST! _I trailed off. _Stupid furball..._

_**Aw, come on! You know you want to think about all the kink--**_

_And THIS is where I stop listening! _

I ran down the street, getting closer and closer to the main gates of Konoha. Finally, when the gates came into view, I began to slow down and stopped a few feet away from... yes-a fuming Sakura.

"DAMMIT, Naruto! I _told _you to get here at sunrise... not 45 minutes _after_ sunrise!" she yelled, relatively calmer than she _usually _would have been while yelling at me.

"Gomen, Sakura-chan." I rubbed the back of my neck nervously. "I slept in and kinda got sidetracked with some thoughts..."

She sighed. "Alright. But, I'm not the _only _one you need to apologize to." She pointed behind her at the group standing impatiently-some huffing with their arms crossed while others seemed unaffected.

The group consisted of Shikamaru, Lee, Neji, Ino, Sai, Hinata and Kiba, who was of course accompanied by his loyal dog, Akamaru. They had all grown older and more mature over the years.

Shikamaru was now age 19, his birthday having passed a few months ago. He still wore his black hair in a ponytail, hairs spiking deviously in multiple directions-still the same length. He wore the usual green vest with a black mesh undershirt underneath. He wore plain gray pants with small packs filled with kunai strapped around his thighs and was currently toting a small pack on his back for the mission.

Lee was still 18, his hair had grown just a touch longer-but he still had the horribly attention-stealing-fuzzy-eyebrows that practically shouted for a proper grooming. He wore his usual green-spandex-leotard-thing and a black vest hanging open-no doubt to show more of the horrid spandex underneath. He was currently carrying 3 packs-I glanced amongst the shinobi before me and quickly figured that he was carrying Kiba and Ino's packs as well as his own in what was no doubt a test of 'youthfulness.'

Neji had turned 20 recently and was the oldest of the group of ninjas. His hair had grown a couple of inches longer, still pulled back in a lazy ponytail. He was wearing a simple shirt with a gray vest zipped up halfway and black pants with a supply pack strapped around his thigh and a larger pack slung across his shoulder.

Ino was still 18, although many would admit she looked much older. She still wore her hair back in a high ponytail with her bangs nearly covering one eye, although her hair had grown longer and was about waist-length by now. She wore a ninja-outfit that was identical to Sakura's, except it was a deep purple. She had a thigh pack on each leg and a white vest hanging open over her outfit.

Sai's age was currently unknown, but if one were to guess, they would say he was about to turn 20. He wore the same thing he used to wear-a black half-shirt and black pants, except now he had the decency to at least wear a thin mesh underneath his shirt, forcing anyone who _wanted_ to look at his abdominal muscles to look closer. He had a small black pack slung across his shoulder and an even smaller pack attached to one of his thighs.

Hinata was the youngest-age 17, turning 18 in a few months. Her purplish hair had grown quite long and was tied back by a hitai-te. She wore a white shirt, black vest, and black pants. She had two thigh packs and was wearing a grey pack for the mission on her back.

Kiba was age 18, turning 19 pretty soon. His hair was shaggy and a little bit past his shoulders. He was wearing a black shirt, dark green vest, dark gray pants, and a pack strapped around his thigh. Of course, Akamaru was standing loyally by his side, a good 3 feet tall-on his hind legs he would undoubtedly be taller than my own 6'1'' self.

"Sorry guys. So, I'm guessing we're all ready to go?" I asked, unsure of how to start us out on our mission.

Shikamaru stood straight from his position leaning on the large post of the main gate and said his favorite word. "Mendokuse."(1)

Everyone nodded, although it was kind of hard to tell whether they were answering positively to my question or agreeing with Shikamaru.

We all turned and were about to step out of the gate until we were stopped by a voice calling my name. "Naruto!! Wait!! Wait a second!"

I turned to see Kakashi jogging up to me, huffing in annoyance. He wore his usual outfit, dark blue long-sleeve shirt and pants with a green vest, and of course, his mask covering the bottom half of his face and hitai-te covering his left eye. He was holding a small package and had a small pack slung on his back.

"What the hell, Kakashi? What do you need?" I asked, confusion clear on my face.

His eyes crinkled into half moons-the only evidence of him smiling.

"Aw, don't treat your old sensei so badly. Don't you still love me?"

I frowned. "Cut the crap, Kakashi. What do you need?"

He frowned too. "Meanie. I convinced the Hokage to let me go with you guys on the mission."

I thought about it. _Well, if he comes I will have a father-like figure with me... and he could probably teach me a few more jutsu..._

I smiled my bright smile, an actual real smile-the first one in a long time. "Okay, Kakashi..."

I drifted off, my attention turning to the small parcel he held in his hands. He followed my vision and smiled when he realized I was looking at the package.

"Oh, this? Iruka told me to give it to you. He said he was planning on giving it to you for your birthday in a few weeks, but seeing as your mission is expected to be long, he decided to let me give it to you."

I smiled gleefully. "Cool!" I took the package from him. "I'll open it later." I pulled my pack off of my shoulder and stuffed the package inside as gracefully as possible and slung the pack back on. "Well, let's get going then, eh?" I smiled one of my fake smiles again.

Again, everyone nodded. We all stepped forward, silently starting our mission.

**-Chapter End-**

(1) - "mendokuse" - come on people! You know what this means! It's Shikamaru's famous, "troublesome"

XxXxXxXxX

Thanks for reading so far, please continue to read!

Review please!


	5. The Imprisonment

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Naruto... if I did, Rock Lee's eyebrows would be less noticeable.

**Warning:**

Violence

Language

Sexual content

Possible spoilers

Yaoi

**Key:**

"talking"

_thinking/talking to kyuubi_

_**kyuubi talking in his mind**_

_'writing'_

**-LINEBREAK-**

Chapter 5 - "the Imprisonment " - **Start.**

He groaned, refusing to open his eyes. Every inch of his body was sore, it felt like he had been running for weeks without stopping. When he listened closely, he could hear a steady beat in the background.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip, drip, drip.

Drip.

Frankly, it was driving him mad. He wanted nothing more than to yell, kick, shout, scream, _something._ But, there was one small problem. He couldn't move. Not an inch. Why couldn't he move? Ah, yes-you see, that's the thing. He was vertical, like he was standing, but he wasn't exactly _standing._ His hands were high above his head, chained to the ceiling and, of course, his feet were tightly chained to the floor. The chains felt heavy, like he was supporting a cannonball of some sort.

His once-blond locks of hair were now grungy and dirty, as if he had decided that the best bath was the nearest mud-puddle. His blue top was now ripped and lying pitifully in tatters on his shoulders. His once-black pants were now a dull black, with a few rips and cuts randomly decorating the legs.

_Agh. Kyuuuuuubi..._

_**Yeah, kit?**_

_What in the hell is going on? I feel... bruised. _

_**Bruised?? That, kit, is a bit of an understatement.**_

_Just.. what the hell is going on?_

_**Maybe if you'd open your eyes, you would know.**_

_AGH. You ASS. I hate you. _

_**I love you too, kit.**_

Naruto grumbled, forcing his eyelids open slowly. He blinked to adjust his eyes to the darkness. He groaned. "What the hell..." he muttered. Looking around (as well as possible) he took in his surroundings.

As mentioned before, he was chained upright at the back of a room-a cellar of some sort. There was one barred window on the adjacent wall near the middle of the room. Opposite that wall was a large wooden door leading into what he assumed was a dark hallway. The room itself was made of bricks and stone, all a dull gray color. There was a large table in the middle of the room with needles, sexual toys and other unmentionable items. It was otherwise bare and empty.

Naruto paused, sincerely wondering how in the hell he had ended up chained in such a dark and cold place without so much as wisp of a memory how.

_**You nitwit. Those bandits caught you, remember?**_

_Bandits...?_

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

He growled, obviously frustrated. They had been travelling almost non-stop for nearly 4 weeks, trying to leave different tracks to confuse any possible pursuers. He had only had a chance for the bath he had been planning twice, and even then he had only had enough time for a quick rinse-get in, get out. Now, he was used to the lack of bodily cleanliness as was every ninja, but currently, his hair had become so disastrous that it was hanging over his eyes a bit. This had resulted in him nearly running into trees a multitude of times.

He kept trying to blow the damned yellow fluff out of his face, but each time he did he was only rewarded a few seconds at most with proper sight before it flopped back down in front of his eyes. He growled louder, ready to beat something to relieve his tension.

Kakashi looked back from his position at the front of the group and halted the rest of the group. Everyone landed on seperate branches of the trees and looked to Kakashi, waiting for an explanation.

"Considering it's sunset and that there's a river nearby, I think that it would be wise to set up camp for the night and allow for everyone to regroup and... _freshen _up," he said grinning, shooting knowing glances in Naruto's direction.

Naruto huffed. "Finally!" he all but yelled. He pulled his pack off his shoulder and digging through the bag to pull out a sleeping bag and small tent. He again remembered how they had been forced to stop at a nearby town to get his camping gear, for he had actually managed to forget all of it during the preparations.

Kiba glanced in his direction, knowing what Naruto was thinking about. "I still can't believe you forgot to pack camping supplies." He laughed. Naruto scowled, and turned to him, his sleeping bag in hand. "Oh, shut it, dog-breath. We all make mistakes."

Kiba's eyes widened, surprised. "Wow, that is the smartest thing I think I've ever heard you say," he replied, forgetting his protests against the name he had been given by the blond.

Naruto momentarily froze. _Crap, I keep forgetting I'm supposed to be a bumbling idiot. _He internally rolled his eyes before quickly replying to cover things up. "Don't be such an idiot, dog-breath. I am the almighty Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage! I'm _always _smart."

Kiba rolled his eyes and turned to make his own bed for the night allowing Naruto to continue to do the same.

Naruto quickly set up his tent and rolled the sleeping bag out inside it. He waltzed over to the middle of the campsite where a campfire was burning proudly. He stopped in front of Neji with his hands on his hips earning a questioning glance from the pale-eyed young man. "Neji, do you have a brush? I need one."

Naruto could have sworn he saw Neji's eye twitch before he answered, his voice a touch strained. "And why do you think that I of all people would have one?" Naruto smiled cheekily and answered in an obnoxious voice, "because, _you_ have really long hair. _You _have your hair pulled back in a ponytail. And lastly, _you _absolutely adore your hair."

Alright, he was willing to bet his life that Neji's eye twitched _that _time. He laughed sadistically in his head. _Oh, this is _priceless.

"Alright, I have a brush. But I'm not letting you use it until you get your filthy hair cleaned." Neji eyed him seriously. Naruto's eyes widened. "You mean you really _do _have a brush?"

The other campers who had gathered during the exchange began to chuckle discreetly. Neji's eyes narrowed, showing his displeasure in the taunt. Naruto 'eep'ed. _Uh oh. I guess that's my cue to leave. _

He turned back to his tent and went inside, grabbing a pair of extra clothes and his soaps, trotting off in the direction of the river, hollering over his shoulder to let his nakama know where he was going to be.

He entered the dense mass of trees, weaving in and out of the large trunks, jumping over the roots and maneuvering through the bushes expertly. He finally pushed his way out of the shrubbery coming to the river, sparkling with the colors of the setting sun. He smiled softly at the beautiful sight, snapping out of his daze when he remembered why he was there in the first place.

He stripped off his clothes folding them neatly and setting them behind a tree next to his clean clothes along with his forehead protector, keeping them out of sight incase of an unwanted visitor. He picked up his thigh pack, shampoo and soap and walked the few meters to the river, throwing the pack unceremoniously onto the river bank (also incase of an attack). Without further ado, he sucked in some breath and dove into the icy-cold water.

* * *

I quickly swam to the surface of the river to gain back some much-needed air that had been forced out of my lungs due to the freezing temperatures of the water. My teeth had already begun to chatter, demanding that I warmed my body up immediately. _Kami, it's cold! It figures that the one time that I'm allowed to relax, it's limited to sub-freezing temperatures. What luck. Actually, I think my shower back home was warmer than this... and _that's_ saying something._

I sighed, determined to clean myself quickly and get warmed up. I steadied my breathing to prepare for the inevitable.

One...

Two...

Three!

I sucked in a gulp of breath and dipped my head beneath the surface of the water. My lungs had instantly begun to burn in retaliation, pleading for the air above the surface. I furiously began to scrub my hair, running my fingers through the ratted blond mess. I rubbed out the dirt and quickly ran my fingers through the whole length of my hair, urging the sweat and grime off. After roughly half a minute of this, I had deemed my hair gunk-free and headed to the top for the precious air.

I floated at the surface, staying in place and trying to regulate my breathing as properly as possible. I began to scrub at the skin on my arms, the muck easily coming off after the soaking I had just put myself through.

I pulled the shampoo off the side of the river and poured a large dollop in my hand, lathering it generously in my hair. I dipped back, and shook my head, running my fingers through the now-soft hair. I grabbed the soap, lathered and was about to rinse when...

I paused.

Were those... voices?

I turned and looked to the side of the river, opposite of our group's encampment.

_I'm pretty sure that's none of our nakama... then... who is it?_

I quickly dunked under the water, rinsing the soap off and swam to the side of the river our encampment was on. I hurriedly picked up my thigh pack and quietly stepped over to the trees that I had hidden my clothes behind. I shrugged on my outfit, pulling on the clean clothes that I had brought with me and tied on my forehead protector. I strapped on my thigh pack and turned back to the river.

_A peek wouldn't hurt, right?_

I turned back to my dirty clothes and frowned. What should be done with the clothes?

_**Just leave them, kit. You're only going to check on the voices across the river, right?**_

_Yeah..._

_**Then you'll be right back to get them. Besides, if you're attacked you wouldn't want 'em to get in the way.**_

I shrugged. _Whatever._

I sent a small amount of chakra to the soles of my feet, quickly and stealthily running across the river I had been bathing in a mere 5 minutes ago.

_Not too much chakra... I don't want to alert them to my presence._

Across the river was much like the other side. It was a few meters bordering the river before abruptly giving way to shrubbery, trees and other plant life. There was a small clearing in the middle of the forest whereas on the other side, there was no clearing-there was barely any room, hence the encampment was on the other side of the forest.

I hid behind a couple of trees a few meters back from the clearing and paused. Taking my chances, I poked my head out from behind the tree to take a peek.

It was a small encampment, with 4 or 5 one-person tents gathered in a semi-circle around the fire. Just as the tents suggested, there were 5 men gathered around the fire, talking in hushed voices.

I stepped forward, hiding behind a tree even closer to the encampment to hear their conversation better.

"So, that's the stuff, right?" a deep male voice asked in hushed tones.

"Yeah-it's definitely the stuff that the boss wants. It's a good thing we got it too. Who knows _what_ he would have done...?" a feminine, yet scratchy voice answered.

"That's good." A man in the group held up a small vial with a clear liquid inside. "This stuff is evidently _very_ important if we think about his reaction _last _time."

"Damnit!" the feminine voice hissed, a red headed female in the group snatching the vial out of his hand and stuffing it in a nearby bag. "Don't show this stuff around! You never know who is watching!!"

_Tch. How convenient. A bunch of thieves trying to sell stuff on the black market. I might as well just leave._

I turned around, fully intent on leaving when the next sentence stopped me in my tracks.

"Fine, fine. I just can't believe that damned Sasuke is the one that had it."

My eyes widened.

_Sasuke?_

"Sasuke? Who's Sasuke?" the woman asked.

"Oh yeah. You weren't with us then. He's a missing-nin(1) from Konoha-joined up with that snake-man... Orochu... Orochin... Orochimaru! Yeah, Orochimaru... Anyways, he had the vial on him-you know... I wonder if the boss knows he had it...?" one of the men answered.

"Orochimaru...? Oh. OH! _That _Sasuke!" the female nearly yelled.

"Sssshhh!" one of the men snapped.

I stepped forward, intending to analyze them further. But, to my dismay, right in the footpath was-yes- a dreaded twig.

The five heads snapped up and immediately fixed on me.

_Well, shit._

They stood up quickly, taking fighting stances, one of them falling behind the others.

_Well, isn't that great? They're _ninjas!!

I took out a few kunai, hoping to Kami that they weren't very strong-after taking a bath in an ice-cold river, your joints tend to move slower than usual-and that was _not _a good thing for a ninja that was just caught spying on other ninja.

"Who are you?" I asked them, trying to stall for more time.

The female snorted. "Who are we? I believe the question is, who are _you? _You are the one who was caught spying on us, not the other way around."

"Me? I'm nobody real special. Just a Konoha ninja," I pointed briefly to my forehead protector, "who was passing by while on a mission. So... I think I'll just take my leave." I slowly turned, moving to put my kunai back in my pack.

"You know what? I don't think so. You might have heard some valuable information and will have to be properly disposed of. Too bad, too. You're such a handsome fellow." a man with short brown hair said.

_Well, damn. There goes _that_ plan. _

I turned and faced them with a deadly smile. "I don't think you'd want to do that."

The ninja in the back of the group stepped around the others to see who had spoken in such a frightening tone. His eyes landed on mine, his eyes narrowing. Then, his face broke out in a smirk of victory.

"Don't kill him," he said. "That man there is a jinchuuriki(2). The container of the nine-tailed fox, Kyuubi."

The other ninja's eyes widened briefly before turning into identical smirks.

"Well," the woman said, "isn't this our lucky day, then? The boss would be ecstatic to have one of the bijuu(3) handed to him without having to fight. So, this is... Uzumaki Naruto, age 18, right?" she smiled deviously at one of her colleagues.

_Oh great. People are doing research on me now, for heaven's sake. What next?_

"Yeah," the brown-haired man that spoke earlier said. "And he's a cute one, too. Maybe I can get a good fuck off of him before turning him over to the boss."

_I _had _to ask, didn't I? Why do I always get caught up in this crap? He's a damned rapist! Rapist, I say, rapist!!_

Before I had a chance to think anymore, the woman charged, her kunai raised up in front of her. I pulled my hand back up and blocked, jumping over her and landing on the other side of the group. I didn't get a chance to get back in stance and was mercilessly pitted against the many ninjas, avoiding as many blows as possible but still getting hit and cut every few seconds. I was soon up against a tree wrapped in thorned vines, the thorns digging painfully into my back.

I stepped to the side gritting my teeth, tearing large, deep cuts in my skin and quickly formed seals, shouting loudly, "Kage bunshin no jutsu(4)!" Three of my clones appeared in a puff of smoke and immediately took on the fighters. One of the replications took a hit and poofed out of existence. As soon as I saw him take the hit I was up right behind him, jumping through the left behind smoke and shoving a kunai through the mans chest, killing him instantly.

I whirled around smacking the red-headed woman in the head, sending her flying into a nearby tree. The clone that she was fighting nodded in thanks and quickly turned to join the remaining clone in battle with 2 other ninja.

_Good, _I thought, turning back and glancing at the knocked out woman. My clones had managed to trick the 2 ninjas into knocking each other out by fighting back to back, waiting for them to lunge at the same time and jumping out of the way, allowing a head-first collision. The clones turned to me and smiled, then poofed out of existence. I pulled out 3 more kunai, throwing them at the vital spots of the knocked out shinobi and killing them.

_Wait a minute, _my brows furrowed, _weren't there 5 of them?_

I paused and thought back to when I was caught. _Oh dear Kami. _My eyes widened. _What happened to the rapist...?_

I turned around slowly and came face to face with the man who had just now invaded my thoughts, his hand at the base of my neck.

"Hello there, cutie. Good job, but..." he leaned forward breathing into my ear, a smile on his lips. "Not good enough." My eyes widened for the 3rd time that day.

A split second later, before I could even react, his hand struck the base of my neck, effectively sending me into darkness.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

"Ah, yes. The rapist. Wait... did he rape me?!" I squeaked pitifully, pulling at the chains around my wrists urgently, desperate to get away from the bland room.

_**Not yet, kit. But you might want to get a move on and bust out of here. He's pretty close by...**_

I sighed.

_Well, shit._

**-Chapter End-**

(1) missing-nin - a ninja who has betrayed his village and is hunted down by hunter-nin

(2) jinchuuriki - a vessel (human) who contains one of the nine bijuu

(3) bijuu - one of the all-powerful demons with the highest status among the lesser demons

(4) Kage bunshin no jutsu - Naruto's favorite jutsu, translated as "shadow-clone jutsu"

XxXxXxXxX

Read and review. I'd be glad for some constructive criticism.


	6. The Escape

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto, because if I did, Akamaru would be the size of an elephant. Don't give me that face-you know it's cool.

And then we need the warnings...

**Warning: **

Violence

Language

Sexual Content

Possible Spoilers

Yaoi

**Key:**

"talking"

_thinking/talking to kyuubi_

_**kyuubi talking in his mind**_

_'writing'_

* * *

**Last Chapter of B r e a k i n g F r e e...**

_"Ah, yes. The rapist. Wait... did he rape me?!" I squeaked pitifully, pulling at the chains around my wrists urgently, desperate to get away from the bland room._

**Not yet, kit. But you might want to get a move on and bust out of here. He's pretty close by...**

_I sighed. _

Well, shit.

**

* * *

**

Chapter 6 - "the Escape" - **Start.**

He looked around himself curiously, trying to find a way out of his current predicament. Finding nothing within his short reach (shortened further by the chains around his wrists and ankles), he sighed and turned his gaze to the chains holding him captive. He tugged on them lightly, trying to determine how strong they were by their weight and how far he could budge them. He watched the ceiling, where the chains were connected, looking for _any _possible weakness in them.

Now, a normal person would have seen absolutely no difference from a slight tug of the chains to leaving them perfectly still. But Naruto wasn't exactly what people would call _normal. _With his heightened senses, courtesy of Kyuubi, he was able to see just the _slightest_ indention in the ceiling with the tug.

_Heh. Hey, Kyuubi. I don't think that guy knows as much as he thinks he knows about me._

Naruto felt Kyuubi roll his eyes in the back of his mind as if to say, 'I suppose I could entertain the idiot...'

_**Okay, kit. Why, pray tell, do you think that?**_

_Because, I might not be able to break out of this by myself, but it would be quite simple using your... _help.

_**And...?**_

_They evidentally don't know that I can "release" you-use your power._

_**Okay... **_He could feel Kyuubi frown. _**My kami. You really **_**are **_**an idiot.**_

_Hey!!!_

_**What? I can't believe you felt the need to state that! That's pretty simple, kit. I think you took a few too many punches to the head.**_

Naruto grumbled aloud. _Yeah, yeah, you stupid fox. Just give me some of your chakra and lets get out of here. I really prefer to keep my virginity, thank you very much._

_**Okay, okay. Sheesh. **_

Almost immediately Naruto could feel the sinister chakra running throughout his body, power resting at the tips of his fingers. He shivered violently. He never really liked the feeling of the Kyuubi's chakra. It brought back too many... painful memories. Not only would he remember his painful childhood of being the outcast and the demon kid, but he would also see some of Kyuubi's memories. And Kyuubi's memories did not come with rainbows and butterflies. Absolutely not.

With visions of death more than a couple centuries old flitting through his mind, he closed his eyes and concentrated on the chakra, sending it evenly to his wrists and ankles. He started sweating profusely, the red chakra was burning through his skin slowly. _Painfully. _The red chakra was covering the chains, slowly burning away the metal.

Finally, after a few minutes, the chains were finally burned through, releasing him. He immediately cut off the connection of the chakra and began rubbing his raw wrists that were not only chaffed from the chains, but also burned due to Kyuubi's chakra.

"Hey Kyuubi," Naruto called softly, "can you heal my wrists a bit? I have a feeling I'm going to have to fight to get out of here, but I'm not sure I can do any jutsus or use any weapons with my wrists like this..."

He could feel Kyuubi frown slightly in the back of his head.

_**Sure, kit.**_

Kyuubi sent a small amount of chakra to his wrists, new skin quickly covering the burned pink skin.

"Thanks."

* * *

Neji looked up sharply at the sound of someone skidding to a halt in front of the fire, coming face to face to a panting Kiba, Akamaru skidding in right behind him.

"Yes..?" Neji asked almost impatiently.

"Well," Kiba started, "I'm afraid we have a problem," he said, now addressing the whole group. This caught everyone's attention, each person from the search party now glancing up in curiosity.

"What is it, my youthful friend?" Lee prompted, crossing his arms and standing tall.

"Haven't any of you guys noticed?" Kiba raised his voice slightly, his eyes widening and darting side to side and his arms waving at his sides.

"What's got you so panicky?" Sakura rolled her eyes, turning back to her book that she had been reading before the dog-like shinobi interrupted.

"Naruto left to go take a bath in the river!" he yelled, his voice slightly squeaky.

Kakashi promptly looked up from his Icha Icha Paradise book and eyed Kiba with glee. "And...? I believe he established that fact after pointing out Neji's love of his hair." He glanced amusedly at the older Hyuuga who huffed and turned away.

Kiba groaned. "That was nearly 3 hours ago!!"

Sakura and Hinata's eyes widened. "Oh my kami," Sakura said, clearly dumbstruck. "Well, that's not good."

"Exactly!!" Kiba screeched, pointing an accusing finger at Kakashi. "What kind of a teacher totally forgets about one of his students?! Especially Naruto! He's so loud that it's nearly _impossible _to forget about him!"

"Truthfully?" Kakashi asked, "I think it's because I was enjoying the silence. Except Lee, of course." Lee shouted triumphantly behind him.

Sakura and Kiba gawked at Kakashi. Finally, Hinata spoke up. "W-well, I think th-that we should go search for N-Naruto-kun..."

Kakashi turned a brilliant smile to Hinata. "Yes, Hinata. I believe that we should. Neji, could you please lead us to Naruto?"

The older Hyuuga promptly rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath, "Byakugan(1)." He turned toward the river Naruto had strolled off to and spotted his dirty set of clothes that he had gotten from Sakura, but no Naruto.

He turned off his Byakugan and glanced at Kakashi. "His dirty clothes are in the woods next to the river, but he's not anywhere near there. He seems to have headed South, on the other side of the river."

Kiba huffed. "Well, come on. Let's go find him." he turned away and began to stride off in the direction that Neji had pointed out.

Ino stood up from her seat on the log and waved a leisurely hand at everyone. "You guys go ahead, I'll watch the camp."

The rest of the group got up and followed after quickly, leaving behind Shikamaru, who was pleasantly taking his time.

He sat up from his lying down position (for watching clouds, of course) and dusted off his pants. He dumped a pile of dirt on the fire, putting it out and slowly walked in the direction that the others had just disappeared behind the trees. "Too troublesome."

* * *

I sighed. This was getting really old.

Really fast.

How many times have I ended up seperated from the group and locked up kami-knows-where?

Too many to count.

It was ridiculous.

After heaving another sigh, I stepped to the little window and peeked through the bars. It seemed as if the place was partially underground. The bottom of the window was at approximately my waist, but the ground was a mere few inches below that.

They must be trying to be secretive.

Ah yes. A large black building smack-dab in the middle of a forest and partially stuck in the ground.

Huh. Go figure.

Deciding that now would be a good time to get away as quickly as possible, I was about to send chakra to my palm for a rasengan, when I stopped. Remembering the infiltration of Orochimaru's hideout with Yamato, I smiled.

Discreet. That was the secret.

_I suppose now would be a good time to try out my new jutsu..._

Over the past few years, I had been creating new jutsus here and there-some for fun, others for special uses. There was a specific one that I had thought up that would work perfectly in the current situation.

Holding onto the first bar of the window with one of my hands, I extended my other hand out beside it at the top, my fingertips pointing outside and channeled chakra to my fingertips. "Wind release; Suntetsu(2)," I murmured. My chakra slowly became visible as a pale blue, covering the tip of my hand and extending past my fingertips about 4 inches. After a few seconds, it had finally sharpened into a knife-like shape with a darker blue chakra spiralling around the edges.

I sliced neatly through the top of the bar and did the same with the bottom. After repeating the same with the other bars, I carefully placed the now-detached-bars on the ground so as not to make unnecessary noise and smiled to myself. _No trouble so far..._

I looked around the room to make sure none of my ninja supplies were in here. _Tch. No luck. _I was about to turn back to the window when something glinted in the corner of my eye. Curious, I stepped up to the table and peered wonderously at the object. Finally, deciding it wouldn't hurt, I pocketed one of the two vials labeled: 'serum'.

I hurriedly hefted my self through the window and stood up, dusting myself off. _Now to get the hell outta here. _

I stepped forward, intent on leaving the place far, far behind when a crunch sounded behind me, causing me to freeze.

"Going so soon?" a voice asked.

_Well damn. I hate it when my instincts are right._

"Yeah, I figured I've stayed here too long and decided it would be a good time to leave," I said, a large smile plastered on my face as I turned around to face the man formally dubbed 'rapist' in my head.

"Really? But, I insist that you stay. It would be too much of a shame to send you on your way..!" he cooed, making me cringe.

_Dear kami, this man. I really hate guys like this. _

"I'm sorry," the smile slipped off of my face, replaced with a sneer, "but, I cannot stay any longer. You see, I prefer to keep my distance from rapists such as yourself."

"Ooh. Fiesty. 'Rapist'? Isn't that a bit harsh? I just want a good fuck. And someone such as yourself would more than fit the criteria," he practically giggled with glee.

"Well that's too bad, because I'm not going to be fucked," I said loudly before charging at him.

* * *

Naruto held his hand out in front of himself, yelling "Wind release: Oomi(3)!" Just as the short-knife, a blue chakra surrounded the tip of his hand but extended roughly 1 foot long taking a mere few seconds. The other ninja was prepared though and pulled out a dagger, clashing it against Naruto's chakra-knife.

They fiercely pushed against each other, neither gaining an advantage over the other. "Dammit!" Naruto muttered ferociously. He pushed away and charged again, slashing multiple times. He only made contact with the other ninja's skin about one out of every three times. Deciding that method was too exhausting, Naruto took another route.

Making a seal, he shouted, "Kage bunshin no jutsu!" Five of his clones appeared behind him and lunged for the enemy ninja. Flipping back, the other ninja used taijutsu against them, immediately taking out two of them. Punch, dodge, kick, poof. Punch, dodge, kick, poof. Punch, jump, kick, dodge, underhook, poof.

After taking on the clones he was about to jump forward when he noticed the absence of the actual Naruto. "Wha-- Where!?" He felt something latch onto his ankle and promptly pull him down, entrapping him in the ground where only his shoulders and head were showing. Naruto appeared in front of him and smiled dangerously.

Before the ninja could get out of his predicament, Naruto had taken out three long needles and threw them precisely into his neck. The ninja's eyes slowly glazed over, confirming his death.

Naruto sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Man, that's _one _worry taken off of my shoulders. I almost feel the need to make a list of these types of things. 'Creepy rapist that wants to fuck me into the ground? Check.'"

_**...I think you need help, kit.**_

_You know what? Shut up._

_**Real mature, kit. Real mature.**_

_..._

Kyuubi sighed. _**Sheesh.**_

Naruto frowned and set back in the direction of camp to get back to his nakama, not noticing that the enemy ninja's pulse could still be felt in his neck.

* * *

A loud sigh echoed in the clearing. "Sheesh. I still can't believe he gave those vials to that creep. I mean, seriously! Who knows what he'll do with them?" a young male with aqua-blue hair and jagged teeth asked.

"Shut up, Suigetsu! Boss does whatever he wants to and I will follow his wishes forever and always!" a redish-purple haired woman with glasses declared. A man roughly in his 20's with messy brown hair watched them curiously from his perch on a log a couple feet away.

The younger man snorted. "Boss? What happened to '-sama'? I bet even Juugo would agree," he pointed to the older man, "that you are nothing but a skank, Karin."

The woman snarled and was about to launch herself onto him before she was stopped by a voice.

"Stop, Karin."

She spun around and came to face the black-blue haired man with ebony eyes a mere few feet away from her. "Sasuke-sama(4)!" If she stepped forward and leaned in a bit, she could brush her lips against his so easily...

Sasuke stepped past her without so much as an acknowledgement, causing her to frown in disappointment. He quickly covered up the fire that they had been using and turned to each of his group members. "We're setting off. We have a lead."

Karin skipped to his side happily, clearly having forgotten her past woe. Juugo quietly got up and stepped towards him while Suigetsu groaned and got up loudly and ungracefully. "Aw, crud. Already? I can't believe it! We haven't had a break in a long while..."

Sasuke grunted in response.

Rolling his eyes, Suigetsu spoke again, "always so talkative, eh? Ne, Sasuke. Why did you give those vials to that loonie, anyways?" Sasuke stayed silent for a moment before he spoke, "because I had no need for them."

"But you don't even know what it was! It could have been something dangerous that will get in our way later on!" After recieving no response, he grumbled, "sometimes, I doubt your sanity."

"Hn."

Sasuke turned to the surrounding forest and ran at a fast pace, heading to his destination closely followed by his group.

* * *

A brown headed man trudged through the door, mud dripping down his legs and dirt clinging to his hair. He went down the long stretch of hall, a slight feeling of sinister chakra nearby was distinguishable. He finally came to yet another door. He reached forward to touch it and pulled his hand back quickly when an electric shock passed up his arm.

"Che, stupid barrier," he muttered.

He stepped back and made a few handsigns and said a loud, "kai(5)!" Almost instantly, the sinister chakra's force multiplied until the feeling was nearly overwhelming. He stepped back again, deciding whether proceeding was indeed a wise decision. After a few moments, he stepped forward and turned the handle, opening the door, and stepping in the dark room.

There was a moment of silence before a deep voice urged from the shadows, "well?"

The man straightened up instantly, now fully concious of the fact that he was not alone. He cleared his throat nervously and began.

"Sir, our group has been terminated, myself being the only survivor. I have obtained one vial of the serum, having lost the other to..."

He felt eyes watching him intently, silently commanding him to continue.

The brown haired man took a deep breath, brushing off some sweat that had began to run down his forehead and continued. "We came across a shinobi from Konoha in the forest." He could practically feel the interest rolling off of the person in the shadows. "He was the one responsible for my companion's deaths. His name was Uzumaki Naruto, vessel of the Kyuubi no Kitsune."

The man in the shadows seemed to straighten up at the mention of the name.

The brown haired man continued. "After the death of my comrades, I rendered the vessel unconcious and proceeded to take him back with me. Regrettably though," he gulped, "he escaped, taking one of the two vials with him."

The man in the shadows scoffed before speaking. "Oh really? That's such a shame, but it seems that I no longer require your existence."

The brown haired man stiffened, fully prepared to turn around and run. But it was too late-the last thing the man saw was blood red eyes with three tomoes rapidly spinning around the pupil before a kunai was embedded in his throat, instantly killing him.

The man fell to the ground, a vial of clear liquid falling out of his pocket and rolling across the floor before it came to a stop at the feet of the man in the shadows. A bluish hand reached down to pick up the vial, holding it close to the face of another figure.

"So 'tachi._ This _is what you have been looking for?" Kisame asked rather boredly, holding it inches from Itachi's face.

"Yes, Kisame," Itachi held out his hand, gesturing for Kisame to give him the vial, "_this _is what I have been searching for."

Kisame dropped the vial in Itachi's hand lazily. "What a load of bullshit. Do you know how ridiculous this seems? How you have been obsessing over this one vial that is probably only full of 10-20 drops of liquid for... 2 years..?!"

"Hn," was the simple reply he recieved.

"Che, stuck-up asshole." Kisame groaned before adding, "so... when do we start?"

Itachi merely stared blankly at him, seemingly not going to present him with an answer. Kisame rolled his eyes and moved to the door, grabbing his large sword sitting nearby and stepping through the door. Before the door closed behind him, however, he heard a low murmur echo through the room.

"Soon."

The door shut and Kisame smiled deviously.

"Excellent."

* * *

Naruto groaned. He had been walking for nearly 2 hours straight and he was getting hungry. He pushed through the brush and fell to his knees, rubbing his stomach.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH! This is _so _fucked up!!!" he yelled, clearly not caring whether anybody heard him.

He sensed some movement nearby and leaped to his feet, quickly pulling out a kunai and moving into a defensive position. He heard some murmuring before someone stepped through the trees. Naruto fell to his knees and cried out happily.

"Neji!"

The Hyuuga stepped forward, obviously aggravated. He was soon followed by the rest of the group. Kiba jumped forward and locked Naruto in a hug. "There you are, Naruto! We've looked everywhere!!"

Kakashi stepped closer and smiled. "Yes, even Shikamaru helped." Naruto looked past Kakashi to see Shikamaru leaning against a tree with his eyes closed and smiled.

_Wow. Usually he would at least stay behind at camp or something... I practically feel priveleged._

While Naruto was in the middle of that thought, Kakashi had pried Kiba off of him and leaned dangerously close to Naruto. "Well it's good that we found you and all, but I do believe that we should be getting back, writing our first report to the Hokage and..." The silver haired jounin smiled deviously. "You should probably go take another bath."

Naruto blinked.

_Another bath..?_

He looked down at himself, seeing the dirty and ripped clothes with blood soaked in a couple of spots. There were a few moments of silence before he looked up with an eye twitching.

"DAMMIT!"

**-Chapter End-**

(1) - "byakugan" - Neji's bloodline limit. Only his family is able to use it.

(2) - "Suntetsu" - Not an actual jutsu. One that I made up randomly for this fic. Means "short blade" in Japanese

(3) - "Oomi" - Again, not actual, just one that I made up. Means "long blade" in Japanese

(4) - "-sama" - a suffix for someone respected

(5) - "Kai" - meaning "release," usually for removing barriers

XxXxXxXxX

You know, I just realized, but... I always seem to end the chapters with one word sentences being spoken or a nice curse word. Lovely eh?

Read and Review, please! Criticism and pointing out my mistakes is welcome!


	7. The Gift

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto because if I did, Hinata would be a feisty tiger underneath that shy persona. Although... who's to say she isn't?

**Warning:**

Violence

Language

Sexual Content

Possible Spoilers

Yaoi

**Key:**

"talking"

_thinking/talking to kyuubi_

_**kyuubi talking in his mind**_

_'writing'_

**

* * *

**

**Last chapter of B r e a k i n g F r e e...**

_Naruto blinked._

Another bath..?

_He looked down at himself, seeing the dirty and ripped clothes with blood soaked in a couple of spots. There were a few moments of silence before he looked up with an eye twitching._

_"DAMMIT!"_

**

* * *

**

Chapter 7** - **"the Gift" - **Start.**

The group slowly made their way back to camp, where Ino was waiting rather impatiently. She glanced up at the group, her eyes threatening to fall shut due to the lack of sleep. When she realized that Naruto was following clumsily behind them, her eyes shot open with a fierce glare. "So," she began, "you finally decide to make an appearance and put our weary hearts to rest!" she growled angrily while pointing an accusing finger in Naruto's direction.

Naruto froze in his tracks. "Um.. what?" he asked, putting his outer character into play.

Ino's eye twitched, her face steadily growing redder by the second.

_Oh jeez, _he thought, _she's mad at me for something beyond my control... that's just unfair. _Naruto inwardly sighed. _I guess I'll have to deal with this..._

Ino stood abruptly and glared even harder. "Why in the hell did it take them over 2 hours to find you?! I mean, you're a ninja! You should be able to meet up with them rather easily, don't you think? Why did you go across the river in the first place?! You were supposed to get cleaned and get back. No detours! How can you not understand such a simple concept?!"

During Ino's rant, Naruto had stepped back at least 2 feet and flinched over 5 times.

_**Wow. I think she's mad at you, kit.**_

_No... really? I hadn't noticed. _He resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

Before Naruto had the chance to respond to Ino, Sakura stepped in front of him protectively, holding her posture straight and sending a light glare in Ino's direction.

"Ino, get off of his case. He had felt an odd chakra and went to investigate. He can't help it that he was caught and--" she cut off, a giggle threatening to rip from her throat. She forced herself to continue, "--and was nearly _raped._"

Sakura broke down into a fit of laughter clutching at her stomach, soon followed by Kiba. Hinata giggled discreetly behind her hand. Neji stepped around the trio with Shikamaru and went to their shared tent, the both of them ignoring the laughter. Lee watched them curiously, wondering what exactly was funny.

After a few moments, Kakashi stepped forward. "Well, as fun as this all is, we've got about 5 more hours before dawn, and I'm sure everyone would like some rest. So, it's best for everyone to probably turn in for the night." Kakashi smiled and stepped past them, heading to his tent.

Kiba's laughter died down. He got up, dusted off his pants and watched Naruto for a moment. His eyes danced with unsaid glee, slowly dying down to seriousness after observing Naruto's expression. It held despair... but also hope and the intelligence of a wizened old man-an expression that nobody would expect on Uzumaki Naruto. He frowned and said, "I... I'm glad you're okay, Naruto," before going to their shared tent followed faithfully by Akamaru. Hinata nodded politely to Naruto before turning to her tent with Lee following to go to his tent while murmuring discreetly about how the power of youth could unexpectedly corrupt. Naruto smiled lightly after them, glad for their concern.

Ino turned away and huffed loudly. She paused for a minute and turned her head back to see Naruto. "It's still your fault." She stomped after Hinata.

Naruto stared after her incredulously, wondering exactly _what _was his fault. He was about to go to his tent when he was stopped by Sakura. She smiled brightly at him. "I'm sorry you were nearly raped..." Naruto frowned, regretting ever telling them about the rapist. She smiled sincerely, "but I'm glad you're safe." She turned away but stopped in her tracks, "Oh! And..." she turned around. "Don't worry about Ino. She's just like that when she's tired. She'll be fine once she gets rested up." She turned back around and went to the tent she shared with Hinata and Ino, fully intent on going to sleep.

Naruto watched her until she had zipped the front of the tent back up before shaking his head. "I'm surrounded by crazy people," he murmured before slipping off to the tent he and Kiba shared.

Sai was left by himself in the small clearing in the darkness. He stood still and silent for a moment before pulling out a small booklet and pencil. He quickly wrote down a couple of notes and stepped forward. He stopped and frowned, chewing on his pencil. After a few moments of contemplation, he wrote down some more notes before closing the booklet and putting it up along with the pencil, fully satisfied with what he had written.

_'The 9th of October, Observations:'_

_'Being nearly raped is considered laughable..._

_..._

_Women are complete bitches when being deprived of sleep.'_

Sai smiled and headed to the tent that he shared with Lee, unzipped the tent "door", and stepped inside, zipping it shut afterwards.

* * *

I stepped into the tent I shared with Kiba and pulled off my shirt and vest, throwing them to the ground. I was about to turn to my pack when I heard a clinking sound from where my vest had been thrown. I frowned and turned to the ripped up vest, opening up pockets. I finally came to the pocket over the heart and reached in, pulling out cold metal and material.

I held the item up and stared at it, allowing my eyes to get used to the darkness. After a few moments, I finally saw it.

Sasuke's hitae-te.

_Oh yeah. I put that in there a while back... didn't I?_

I pulled my knees close to my chest, resting my forehead on my knees. I gripped the hitai-te tightly before murmuring, "why did you leave me..?"

On the other side of the tent, there was a rustling sound. I stiffened before pulling out a kunai and aiming it in the direction of the noise, still tightly clutching Sasuke's hitai-te.

"Woah, woah, jeez! It's just me Naruto, calm down." I heard before there was a slight hissing sound and a small candle was lit. Kiba came into view, waving the match out and flicking it to the corner of the tent. Akamaru was sleeping peacefully behind Kiba.

I slowly forced myself to relax, putting the kunai away. After a few moments of me taking slightly deep breaths, Kiba spoke lowly, "you... you really miss him... don't you?"

I opened my eyes, vaguely wondering when I had closed them and looked sadly up at Kiba. "Of course I do, Kiba. He was my first friend. The one person I could relate to... my most precious person..." I turned away, slightly embarrassed that I had just admitted that aloud.

Kiba smiled sadly and spoke again, "Yeah... I don't blame you. Nobody really can. But... you know, if I didn't know any better... I would say you love him."

I froze, eyes widening and heart racing.

_Love..? Me? Sasuke? Impossible..._

Kiba chuckled slightly, obviously able to tell what I was thinking. "Naruto... It's not entirely impossible, is it? I mean, he was the first one who accepted you, the first one you became attached to... Love... it doesn't really stick to the boundaries of the opposite gender. You love who you love, and that cannot change."

I shook it off slightly. _That's just impossible. He's my best friend and rival. That's it._

I turned to regard Kiba, my eyes showing obvious defiance.

Kiba chuckled again. "Alright, alright." He turned away for a moment, seeming to ponder on something. Finally he turned back. "You know Naruto, you seem really different than what people think. I'm not one to judge, but... I like you like this. You seem to be easier to relate to." He smiled slightly before blowing out the candle and laying down, returning to the realm of dreams.

I stared into the darkness for a while, before smiling and shaking my head. I carefully placed the hitai-te inside the pack and turned over to sleep.

_Who knew Kiba was such a romantic?_

* * *

Naruto rubbed his head, sending droplets of water flying in different directions. He paused and looked down at his now-clean and dressed body, happy that he was once again clean and was most likely going to stay that way for at least a while. Whether it was well-known or not, Naruto _really _hated the grimy feeling of not being clean.

He stepped into the camp's clearing with a bright smile on his face. The first to spot him was Lee. Lee stepped forward with a cheerful smile on his face and a hand held up in greeting.

"Naruto, my youthful friend! I see you have had a decent bathing experience! Come, join us! We are about to begin our meal!" Lee reached forward and grabbed Naruto by the wrist, steering him to the middle of the camp and sitting him down on a log in-between Ino and Shikamaru.

Naruto eyed Ino cautiously before scooting closer to Shikamaru who muttered his trademark phrase of "mendokuse," before rolling his eyes and scooting to the side to give Naruto some more space. Naruto glanced at Shikamaru thankfully before returning his attention back to Ino questioningly.

Ino rolled her eyes before leaning slowly towards Naruto who flinched. "Sheesh, Naruto. I'm sorry. I was a real bitch. Now cut it out. You're acting like Kiba... a kicked puppy or something."

Kiba stood up across the fire and stomped his foot before putting his hands on his hips, "_Hey! _I _do not _act like a kicked puppy!"

Ino sent one of those 'oh-really?' looks in Kiba's direction. "Sure you do. Every time you get in trouble, get embarrassed, or don't get your way. You look exactly like Akamaru when you do it. It's quite funny actually."

Kiba frowned, seemingly to contemplate before yelling, "I do _not!"_Ino sent another of the looks in his direction before raising a questioning brow. "Oh really..? Cause I seem to remember differently.. do you still remember that party? How you got smashed and somehow ended up tied to a tree naked, hanging by your ankles?"

Kiba blushed a considerable amount before looking down and snatching up one of the sticks with grilled fish on them, muttering a quick "ittadakimasu!", taking a rather large bite out of it and heading in the direction of his tent.

Ino snickered before murmuring sadistically under her breath, "yup, that's the look." Naruto stared incredulously at Ino for a moment before shaking his head and claiming one of the fish. Hinata watched Naruto carefully before calling out softly, "so... how was your sleep last night, Naruto-kun?"

He smiled hollowly. "I got a wonderful night's sleep, Hinata-chan! I'm doing great." Hinata continued to watch him before replying, "I... d-don't believe you Naruto-kun. You look very f-fatigued."

Naruto's eyes widened momentarily in surprise before looking to the ground sadly. "I... I've been having dreams about Sasuke lately..."

Hinata smiled sadly before nodding slightly. She had figured that there was no room for her in Naruto's heart a few years back. She knew he was completely set on bringing Sasuke back and didn't really have the time to think about anything else in the meantime. She even slowly came to suspect that Naruto had romantic feelings for Sasuke.

Sakura spoke up to fill in the silence, "we know how you feel, Naruto. We all feel the same about the whole Sasuke deal. Me and Kakashi especially know how you feel..." she said, nodding to Kakashi who sat a few seats away from her looking unusually solemn at the mention of his old student. Neji frowned and turned away, slightly uncomfortable with the sudden tension in the air.

Sai nudged Kakashi who seemed to snap out of his slump. Sai smiled sincerely at Kakashi who smiled brightly back. Even Kakashi had his moments of depression when Sasuke was mentioned. He was, after all, not only his student, but he was something of a son... someone who he had ended up raising.

Kakashi reached for his pack on the ground and pulled out a scroll. "Well, I suppose it's a good thing we're on this mission to retrieve him then, huh?" He smiled his crooked smile and began to write on the scroll quickly.

Naruto scooted forward in his seat on the log and threw a curious glance in Kakashi's direction. "What are you writing, Kakashi?" He waved his hand at the scroll. "Because it seems to be awfully important."

Kakashi glanced up and smiled once again before returning to the scroll. Neji rolled his eyes. "No need to be curious, Naruto. He's just writing the first mission report... and probably enjoying ratting out your near-rape experience to Tsunade-sama." Kakashi's smile grew into a full blown grin and Neji murmured just loud enough for the whole group to hear, "I figured as much."

Naruto's curious expression turned into a horrified look, eyes darting to the scroll, contemplating on whether to snatch the scroll and make a run for it. He really didn't want Tsunade to use that against him in the future... be it for her sadistic entertainment or as an excuse. He decided against it in the end, reasoning that Kakashi would just rewrite it and send it.

There was a moment where they all ate in contemplative silence before a shrill zipping came from Naruto and Kiba's tent. Kiba stepped out of the tent carrying Naruto's pack and Akamaru trotting behind him. Kiba threw the pack to Naruto, who caught it quite easily but quickly added in a low 'oof'.

"What's the deal, dog-boy? Is there something I should know? Why in the hell do you have my pack?" Naruto said loudly.

Kiba rolled his eyes and pointed at the bag. "Well, shouldn't you open that gift Iruka gave you? It _is _your birthday today, isn't it?" Naruto paused for a moment, trying to recall the date.

"Ah..! Now that you mention it..."

Kiba rolled his eyes again and put his hands on his hips. "Happy birthday, retard. Open the present."

There was a low chorus of 'happy birthday' from the group to which Naruto bowed his head embarrassed. "Haha, thanks guys." Naruto smiled gratefully.

"Well..?" Kakashi deadpanned. "Open the present he gave you! He was really excited when he handed it over to me, so I am curious as to what it is..."

Naruto stared at Kakashi for a moment before snapping out of his trance. "Oh yeah! The present!" He reached into his pack, pulling out the wrapped gift from the bottom. He set his travel pack aside and pulled the package into his lap. He slowly pulled the ribbon undone from it and ripped off the surrounding paper.

It was a lovely wooden box that looked hand-carved and very expensive. In the middle of the lid were the words _'Never give up'_engraved in elegant handwriting. Naruto smiled softly at the engraving, tracing it lightly with his fingers before pulling off the lid. He emitted a soft gasp at what was inside the box.

Lying on top of black material was a small dagger with a tiny, simple jewel embedded in the hilt. The dagger looked very old, still usable... but it seemed to Naruto as more of an heirloom of some sorts. He eyed the dagger lovingly before handing it to Shikamaru carefully who began to examine it himself. Naruto turned back to the box and slowly pulled out the black material. There was a flash of orange-red and he gasped again.

"No way.." he murmured excitedly. Naruto quickly stood up, setting the box aside and unfurling the material all the way. There were small gasps from the rest of the group as they laid eyes on what it was. It was an overcoat. But, the fact that it was an overcoat was not what made Naruto excited.

It looked almost exactly the same as the fourth Hokage's overcoat, although it had it's differences. It was black with flames curling up from the bottom and had the kanji for _'freedom' _on the back. Naruto swished it around, admiring how close it looked to Yondaime's overcoat. He carefully folded it up and turned back to the box yet again. There were ninja clothes in there. They were the colors of black and grey. There was also a jounin-style vest that was black and lined with orange.

Naruto smiled again and then turned to Sakura, pointing at the vest. "See, Sakura? Even Iruka tries to get me into different colors, but at least he adds a little bit of orange!" Sakura laughed. "Yeah, I guess so..." she turned to the box and saw a small card sticking out from under the vest and handed it to Naruto. "Here, Naruto. Read it."

Naruto took the card and read it silently.

_'Dear Naruto, _

_I can't believe it. You're already 19 years old, huh? Well, I really wanted to give you your gift in person, but... circumstances deemed otherwise, I suppose. _

_I hope you like your gift. I had the overcoat specially fashioned off of your father's own, but different. I mean, after all, you've always wanted to surpass him haven't you? You have to create your own image._

_I had the word 'freedom' put on the back in remembrance of that one conversation we had all those years ago. Do you remember? I remember it so clearly... you had said that you felt as if you weren't free, that you wanted to earn your 'true freedom'..._

_Anyways, that dagger is very special, too. It was your father's precious possession. He treasured it because it was the first gift he had recieved from your mother. I got special permission from Hokage-sama to give it to you. Your father would have wanted you to have it._

_I wish I could have been there to see your face when you saw it._

_Sincerely, _

_Iruka_

_P.S. I also got you some ninja clothes... you would probably end up losing the ones you have or getting them ripped up somehow... and I got you the vest lined in orange because I know you would have complained otherwise.'_

Naruto's eyes slowly teared up while reading the letter and finally gave a watery smile. He folded the card up and stuck it in one of his vest pockets. Sakura stood up and patted him on the back lightly.

Naruto lightly pulled Sakura's hand away from his back and gave a small, earnest smile. "I'm fine, Sakura. I just wasn't expecting so much from Iruka... I suppose we should get ready to continue the mission, eh..?" He glanced at the overcoat that Iruka had gotten him and Shikamaru was currently putting back in the wooden box.

He had known about his father being the Yondaime for exactly a year now. He had been told about Minato Namikaze and Uzumaki Kushina being his parents on his 18th birthday. Needless to say, he had been quite dumbfounded, yet... happy. After all, he _had _found out that the one person who had been his hero for years was in fact his father. Heck, he had found out that he actually had parents who would have loved him had they been alive. Who wouldn't be happy?

Naruto watched as Shikamaru had carefully laid the dagger and slipped the lid back on the box, handing it his way. Naruto nodded his head in thanks and took the box, putting it in his pack carefully. He smiled softly. "Well, let's pack up and continue on, then!" Naruto headed back to the tent and began to pull it down. Kiba hurried after him and ran inside, grabbing his stuff quickly and came back out cursing colorfully at Naruto's inability to wait. Naruto ignored him, making Kiba huff and finally helping Naruto.

The rest of the group looked at one another before heading off to their own tents to pull them down and get going. After everyone had finished packing up, they put out the fire and got rid of all evidence of having been in the area before heading South-west. Naruto patted the pocket over his heart, smiling when he felt Sasuke's hitai-te safely inside.

**

* * *

**

Tsunade slammed her sake bottle on the table and began sobbing uncontrollably. Shizune inched to her side slowly while murmuring comforting words. Tsunade slowly became quieter until she merely had tears running down her cheeks and an occasional hiccup or two. Shizune rubbed her back lovingly, still murmuring soft, comforting words.

"It's not fair!" Tsunade hiccuped. "He shouldn't have gone and gotten himself killed! He promised," she hiccuped again, "he promised he would come back. He promised he would come back to us!" She let out a soft sob and laid her head down on the desk letting out more quiet sobs.

Shizune pulled the letter off of the desk, trying to keep it from getting wet. She gave a sad smile. "Yes, Tsunade-sama. But, Jiraiya-sama died like a true ninja. He died with honor." She tucked the letter into the drawer of the desk to keep it safe.

"I know that, Shizune! I know that! But," she sat up, turning to Shizune, "that doesn't mean it makes it hurt any less..!"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama, I know. But you need to--" Shizune was interrupted by a loud knock at the door of the office. A simple ninja stepped in and bowed politely. "Please excuse me, Godaime-sama, but I'm afraid we have a problem."

Tsunade quickly wiped the tears from her face and regarded the ninja. "Wh-what seems to be the problem?"

The ninja fidgeted. "It seems that the council has deployed a group of ANBU under the orders to 'dispose of the jinchuuriki, Uzumaki Naruto'." Tsunade and Shizune's eyes widened. "They what?! That's not..." she let out a strangled, aggravated noise. "Shizune! Prepare two messenger birds!"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama!" Shizune briskly walked out the door, pulling the ninja along behind her. Tsunade pulled two scrolls and scribbled down messages hastily. The first scroll was to Naruto's group, to warn them of the coming trouble. The second was to the Kazekage, requesting assistance for their group. She knew she wouldn't be able to make a move against the council without arousing suspicion or causing massive problems between the higher-ups of Konoha. She needed outside help, and she needed it desperately.

Shizune marched through the door with two messenger birds, one on each arm. Tsunade hurriedly attached the messages to their legs and sent them off after telling each of them their destinations.

"Kami, I hope the birds make it in time.." she murmured.

**

* * *

**

Four pairs of feet came to a halt at the large massive gates of Sunagakure(1). There was sand blowing around the four figures before one decided to speak, "oi, Sasuke... are you _sure_that Itachi 'fella came through here? I mean seriously. Doesn't he like... _avoid _big cities?"

"Shut up, Suigetsu! Sasuke-sama knows what he's doing! Don't question him!" Karin yelled. "Whatever, Karin. I really don't care. I just wanna find Kisame and have a good fight with him... probably take his sword, too..." Suigetsu muttered loudly.

"Why you selfish--!" Karin was interrupted. "Karin, Suigetsu, hush. Itachi came through here. We're going after him," Sasuke said lowly.

Juugo nodded but then frowned. "But Sasuke... Doesn't it seem like he's been leading us around? Isn't this a trap?"

Sasuke regarded Juugo momentarily before answering, "trap or not, we're going after him. And I'm going to kill him."

Juugo nodded solemly before they all jumped over the large gate into the village.

**-Chapter End-**

(1) - Sunagakure - Sand village...Gaara, Temari and Kankuro's village.

XxXxXxXxX

Oh, the suspense!

Please review! Comments and criticism are welcome and wanted!


	8. The Dream

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto, because if I did, Sasuke would have punched Sakura from the first moment he met her. (**Why?? **_Why _didn't he?!)

**Warning:**

Violence

Language

Sexual Content

Possible Spoilers

Yaoi

**Key:**

"talking"

_thinking/talking to kyuubi_

_**kyuubi talking in his mind**_

_'writing'_

**

* * *

**

**Last Chapter of B r e a k i n g F r e e...**

_Juugo nodded but then frowned, "but, Sasuke. Doesn't it seem like he's been leading us around? Isn't this a trap?"_

_Sasuke regarded Juugo momentarily before answering, "trap or not, we're going after him. And I'm going to kill him."_

_Juugo nodded solemnly before they all jumped over the large gate into the village._

**

* * *

**

Chapter 8 - "the Dream" - **Start.**

The 5-man group slowed as they came to a small bridge, leading into tiny, unnamed village. It was a quiet village, with many elderly people roaming the streets and a few children bouncing along after each other playfully.

The leader of the group stepped forward and stilled for a moment before nodding and turning around-motioning to the rest of the group. The four other group members stepped forward and signaled even further behind them. Five other shinobi appeared in front of them and took off their respective ANBU masks.

The other four and the leader of the group followed the other member's examples and removed their own masks.

"Sheesh, Kakashi. This isn't an ANBU mission, why the hell do we have to wear our masks? We aren't even dressed in proper ANBU attire," Naruto complained loudly stepping away from his position in the backup group. He had been placed in the second group much to his displeasure due to the 'possibility of running into someone unwanted'.

Kakashi rolled his eyes and faced Naruto. "Now, now, Naruto. It's best to keep our identities hidden to avoid unwanted trouble."

Kiba spoke up, "Yeah. At least we don't have to do the whole code thing and such-it's such a pain in the ass. I mean, who the hell thought up the code thing? 'Cuz I really just wanna--"

"Um," Hinata interrupted what was sure to be a long and stab-filled threat, "didn't we come to this village to s-stock up on simple supplies and write the si-sixth month's report?"

Kakashi gave his hidden smile to the girl. "Yes, that's right. So, while I write up the report, why don't you guys go shopping? We'll meet at this spot in roughly thirty minutes and set off after five minutes. Don't be late!" he sing-songed.

Each of the shinobi gave a nod and disappeared, setting off to replenish their supplies, while Kakashi quickly opened up a scroll and began writing the last month's activities, findings and discoveries.

**

* * *

**

Naruto jogged up to Kakashi to find that he was the last person in the group to arrive. They were all gathered in a circle and we're whispering fiercely about something obviously important. Since nobody seemed to sense his presence, Naruto trotted up to Neji to tap on his shoulder only to have his wrist caught in midair by Neji himself.

"Well, Naruto. It seems as if we will be visiting the Kazekage immediately," he said seriously.

"Wha..?" Naruto questioned confusedly.

"The youthful Hokage has sent an urgent message to us!" Lee said in an abnormally low tone.

Kakashi stepped toward Naruto on the other side of the circle with a messenger bird sitting on his shoulder. He handed off a scroll to Naruto who eagerly opened it.

At the top, it had the Hokage's seal in dark black ink, signifying that it had come directly from the Godaime herself. He read through it, his eyes widening slowly as time went on. After he was finished reading, his arm dropped to his side, an unreadable expression on his face. He reached to his side and pulled off the ANBU mask, fastening it to his face.

"Well, then... to Gaara it is."

**

* * *

**

They had traveled for roughly 5 days and finally arrived at the gates of Sunagakure. During the travel, they had felt faint presences following after them a good 10-20 miles back. They stepped into the large bustling village and immediately headed for the Kazekage's tower, eager to meet with the Kazekage himself.

They halted at the double doors of the tower soon enough, pulling off their ANBU masks yet again. The guards stationed at the sides of the doors relaxed their stances and opened the doors to the 10-man group.

Naruto, knowing his way around the place better than the others due to his various visits, took the lead and went straight to the main office. He pulled open the door and walked into the large, familiar room.

It was wide open, with a large floor-to-ceiling wall-to-wall window directly opposite of the door. Along the wall to the right were a couple of long, simple benches with small tables placed neatly next to them. Situated at the right, was a large mahogany desk with small, neat stacks on it was facing the benches and a large black chair sitting behind it.

The person currently occupying the chair stood up gracefully and stepped around the desk with a stoic expression on his face at the entry of the group. Naruto paused and stared at him before a large smile lit up his face, "Gaara!!" he yelled as he glomped the red-headed kazekage. Said man simple stood still for a moment before patting Naruto's head and prying him off.

"Hello Naruto. It's good to see you too."

"Haha, you look less pissed off than usual."

Gaara merely rolled his eyes and turned back to his desk before sitting in his chair. "So," he prompted, "it seems your own village is trying to kill you."

The smile on Naruto's face was immediately wiped off at the comment. "Sheesh, Gaara. Always quick to get down to business." Naruto turned around and sat down on on of the benches, Kiba following and the rest of the group choosing to stay standing. Akamaru pranced to Kiba's side and lied down next to his feet and promptly falling asleep.

"So, any important information I need to know about?" Gaara asked.

Naruto turned a questioning glance to Kakashi who shrugged his shoulders and remained silent, deciding it would be best for Naruto to explain considering the close circumstances.

Naruto sighed and turned back to Gaara, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped together. "Well, it's just as it said in the scroll. Evidently, someone in the Council went behind baa-chan's back and sent an ANBU squad to kill me... probably to blame on Sasuke," he added as an after-thought.

"The Uchiha..?" One of Gaara's non-existent brows raised.

"Yeah, we're on a year-long mission to retrieve Sasuke. I'm pretty sure this is the last chance that baa-chan is going to give me considering how many things are at stake. I mean, it's not every day that ten ANBU are sent off on a year-long mission just for one person's personal obsession and promise." At the mention of the promise, Naruto gave a quick glance in Sakura's direction.

"Ah..." Gaara replied quietly and went silent, immersed in his thoughts. "Then," he paused, "I suppose I have important information for you."

Naruto gave Gaara a questioning glance. "What would that be?" He leaned forward even further, obviously curious.

Gaara stayed quiet for a moment before speaking, "the Uchiha... passed through my village a few days ago."

All of the Konoha group member's eyes widened at this piece of information. Naruto was in temporary shock. _Sasuke? _He thought. _Here...? So recently?_

"Which direction did he go?" he blurted quickly.

The team members from Konoha all flinched at Naruto's loud and anxious voice. Naruto quickly stood up and walked to the front of Gaara's desk in large strides, putting him mere feet away from Gaara.

"Which direction did he go?" he repeated lowly and almost commandingly.

Gaara studied Naruto's expression and quickly reviewed over his options in his head before sighing aloud and giving in to his urge to help Naruto. "He passed through my village from the same way you entered the village, heading due South."

Naruto didn't move for several moments before abruptly swiveling around and heading for the door. "Ah-ah." Kakashi stepped in front of the door and put a hand on his shoulder to restrain him. "That's not a good idea, Naruto. We need to stay in this village-there are ANBU trying to kill you, remember?"

Naruto tensed before his eyes flashed dangerously. "Oh, how could I forget? But do you really think I could just be a coward and hide out in the village? Their mission is to kill me. No matter how long it takes, they will just wait. They'll just wait and wait until I step foot outside of the village or let down my guard. Sure, we could be cautious and just wait inside the village-wait for them to give up. Wait for their mission to be annulled, postponed or rejected. But how long will that take? In case you haven't noticed, we have our own mission. Our mission's time limit just happens to end in less than 6 months. Our mission is to retrieve Sasuke. And that's what I'm going to do."

_No matter what, _he thought. _For all I know, this could be my last chance to bring him home._

Kakashi's visible eye had widened in surprise before hardening. He let out a heavy sigh before shutting his eyes and said in a low, defeated voice, "fine, have it your way. But we are leaving tomorrow after we get more weapons and supplies."

Kiba spoke up at this comment. "Didn't we just restock our supplies at the last village we were at?"

Neji rolled his eyes before moving past Naruto and Kakashi and pulling the door open. "Yes, but when you are on a mission, it is wisest to keep your supplies in full stock-especially when you are being pursued. There is the possibility that the pursuers would not allow the chance for us to restock again." He stepped through the door and went to wait for the rest of the group at the tower's entrance.

Kiba stayed silent for a moment. "...Right. Come on, Akamaru." He walked to the door with Akamaru following and going to Neji's side.

Gaara pulled open a drawer from his desk and removing a small object before shutting it and standing up. "Same as usual, Naruto. Don't be too reckless." He tossed the small object to Naruto. Naruto caught the object easily and opened his hand, smiling at the key he had become familiar with.

"Yeah, yeah, Gaara. I won't get myself killed. I promise." He walked out of the room with the rest of the team members following to meet back up with Kiba and Neji.

Gaara stood back and stared at the closed door through which Naruto and his large group had exited. After a few moments he sighed and went to the door, opening it and looking at the woman sitting at the desk nearby.

The woman looked up, brushing her short, sandy-brown hair out of her eyes and gave a nervous smile. "Uh... is there anything you need, Kazekage-sama?"

He nodded. "Yes. Bring me a messenger owl immediately."

She nodded quickly and got out from behind her desk, heading down the corridor and disappearing behind another door.

Gaara left the door open and returned to his seat, pulling open another drawer. He pulled out a scroll and wrote a simple message before putting the Kazekage seal at the top, closing it, and tying it shut.

The woman from before gave a light knock on the side of the door before stepping in and bowing. "Pardon the i-intrusion," she said quietly and held the large brown owl out for him to inspect, "d-does this one suit your tastes?"

He nodded and stepped forward, taking the owl from the young woman who flinched. "Yes, that's fine." She gave a sharp nod and stepped towards the door before stopping at Gaara's voice.

"Thank you."

Her emerald colored eyes widened before she gave a soft smile to herself. "No problem, Kazekage-sama." She hurried out the door, nearly bumping into Temari.

"Wow, Gaara. New receptionist looks nice. She doesn't seem to be scared of you," Temari said lightly.

Gaara snorted. "Oh really? I didn't notice."

Temari rolled her eyes. "Tch. What are you doing?" She pointed at the owl that Gaara was attaching the scroll to.

"I'm sending a message to Hokage-sama regarding Naruto. It's rather urgent."

Temari smiled. "Well, I guess it's good luck that the receptionist picked the fastest messenger that we have, huh?"

Gaara didn't answer as he stepped to the large window with the owl on his arm and opened it. He leaned closer to the owl and whispered lowly, "Konoha, directly to Hokage-sama." He gave a light toss to the bird as a head start and watched as it's form became smaller and smaller before finally disappearing over the horizon.

**

* * *

**

Suigetsu groaned, throwing a rock into the small fire they had created. "What a pain in the ass. _This _is why women shouldn't be shinobi!" he growled menacingly.

Juugo gave a small smile. "Everyone has setbacks. It just happens that all women have the same setback..." he gave a slight shrug.

"Yeah," Karin gave a pained yell from across the fire, "_you _try going through the cramps from PMS and let's see how _you _fare!" She groaned and pushed gently on her lower stomach, rubbing in slow, gentle circles.

"It's still a pain in the ass!" Suigetsu shot back.

"As Juugo said," Sasuke interjected before a verbal fight could break out, "everyone has setbacks. We will continue the pursuit once Karin is able to fight. I have no use for a shinobi who can't fight."

"Then why don't we just ditch her?" Suigetsu said hopefully.

"No," Sasuke growled. "We need her to track Itachi's chakra."

Suigetsu scowled and began muttering under his breath, turning over to go to sleep. Sasuke rolled his eyes. "We should be able to move out by tomorrow night," he glanced at Karin who gave a confirming nod, "so rest well."

Karin nodded again and turned over to go to sleep, Sasuke following her and Suigetsu's example. Juugo smiled slightly and put out the fire, getting comfortable and quickly falling into a light sleep.

**

* * *

**

They had all just met back up from splitting up and getting any supplies that might have been needed. Naruto led them through the bustling village to the quiet backroads. They followed the simple dirt road to an isolated area with surprisingly tall yellow grass. After several minutes of trudging through the tall grass, they arrived at a large mansion.

It was a faded yellow brick mansion, with many dusty windows. It had a small balcony to the left side and a small patio. It seemed very old but had a very elegant vibe about it. Naruto stepped up to the front door and pulled out the key he had received from Gaara before unlocking the door. Several clicks were heard before he turned the door handle and swung the door open.

"Well, guys. Here's where we're staying tonight. Feel free to explore and such. The fridge should already be stocked and there should be plenty of rooms for us," he prompted before stepping inside and kicking off his shoes. He turned to a small door on the side wall of the room and opened it revealing many house cleaning supplies and many pairs of wabaki(1).

He pulled out one pair of wabaki and slipped them on his feet before going deeper inside the mansion and heading towards the kitchen.

The rest of the group followed his example and headed off in different directions to explore and find places to sleep. Hinata, Kiba, Ino (and Akamaru) ended up following Naruto into the kitchen. Naruto was at the stove, heating up some water in a pan and pulling boxes out of the cupboards.

"Sheesh, Naruto. I know you like ramen, but you don't have to have it _all _the time," Ino shook her head disapprovingly. Naruto turned around and gave her a weird look. "Ramen? Who said anything about ramen?"

Ino tilted her head to the side, confused. "But isn't that..?" She stepped forward and pulled one of the boxes out of his hand and nearly choked. She looked past Naruto to the counter where a large jar of sauce was sitting. "You're making... Alfredo? Chicken Alfredo?"

"Yeah. Is there something wrong with chicken alfredo?"

"No, it's just.. you can cook?"

Kiba laughed. "Ouch, man. That one was harsh. Yeah. He actually cooks pretty good. He scared the living daylights outta me when he claimed he was gonna cook for me. I halfway expected black slop with ramen on the side, but it turned out really good and _didn't _include ramen in any way whatsoever."

Naruto stuck his tongue out at Kiba childishly. "Shut up. I had to learn to cook something other than ramen. I mean, I was living alone and didn't have anyone to cook for me... and there's only so much ramen one can take. I should have gone over my limit by the time I was 10, but I didn't even try to learn to cook until I was 13. The only thing I can really cook is a variety of noodles though."

Ino gave Naruto a disgusted look. _Nothing but ramen until the age of 13? Sheesh. Breakfast? Ramen. Lunch? Ramen. Dinner? Ramen. Dessert? Special Miso Ramen, _she thought. _He has really grown up with a lot of trouble, hasn't he?_ She frowned sadly.

Naruto grinned at them before turning around and resuming cooking. Hinata blushed brightly and looked down at her feet, too embarrassed to say the words she wanted to say. _It's wonderful that you could always push past the bad to find the good in things._

**

* * *

**

The rest of the group filed through the kitchen door after about an hour, following the wonderful scent of fresh food. They each grabbed a plate of food and migrated to the next room to sit down and eat. They each sat down and began eating before Naruto stopped "Hey, where's Neji?"

"Neji?" Lee looked up from his food. "Ah, he has claimed a room and decided to regain his energy for tomorrow. I don't know if that is youthful, or unyouthful..." he trailed off and frowned in thought.

Naruto gave a surprised look. "He's asleep, already? Huh..." he turned back to his food before Sakura spoke up.

"Hey, Naruto. How did you get us in this mansion? I mean, why did Gaara let us use it?" she questioned.

"Ah.." Naruto slurped up a large noodle and licked the sauce from his lips. "I usually pop in pretty often to say 'hi' or just do a simple mission. I originally just went to a normal hotel for the night and left the next day, but when I randomly started complaining about one of the hotel's attendants he allowed me to stay in this mansion every time I came. Considering the fact that this is kind of like his 'get away' and there aren't really many people nearby, it's a really calm and serene place to stay. He comes here pretty often along with Kankuro and Temari so it constantly has food and such."

Sakura smiled. "How useful. He seems to have become a bit more open since the last time I saw him.."

Naruto smiled back. "Yeah... he's actually getting used to being around people. Sure, he still does the death glares when they piss him off but I can't really imagine him without the death glares."

Kiba openly snorted. "Hah. I can't possibly imagine him without the death glares. Kinda reminds me of when we first met him in the Chuunin(2) exam. We were all scared to death of him back then, weren't we?"

Naruto grinned and stood up, walking towards the sink. "Yeah. He sure has changed hasn't he? Well, I'm going to go to bed. We're going to have a lot to deal with tomorrow." He put his plate in the sink and walked out of the kitchen, "G'night!" he hollered over his shoulder.

The other teammates nodded in consent and quickly downed their meals with a low 'gouchisousama'(3). They followed Naruto's example putting their dishes in the sink and heading to their own rooms with Kakashi lingering behind.

_Gaara's changed, huh? _He thought, _well, if anything, Naruto, it was you who changed him. You do have that effect on people..._

Kakashi gave a light smile in response to his thoughts and went down the large, dark hallway, pulling open a wooden door and stepping inside.

_That's why everybody loves to be with you so much. You bring out the best in others._

He pulled the door shut quietly, the click of the latch resounding lowly throughout the hallway.

_**(--A/N-- Please be aware the next scene is going to be sexually explicit. If you do not wish to read, please skip ahead to the next author's note. Thank you.)**_

Naruto turned over, groaning in his sleep. A cold, light breeze blew over his form from the open window just a few feet away. A shiver went down his spine causing him to scrunch his eyes and move deeper into the silky blankets. Another, colder breeze blew over his face making him moan in displeasure, annoyed at how something so infuriatingly cold would wake him from such a nice sleep. Hell, he hadn't had such a good sleep in _years._He pulled the bottom of his wife-beater over his stomach and shifted his pajama pants in an attempt to postpone the inevitable.

He was about to open his eyes to resign himself to his fate and trudge to the window to shut it when he felt a soft, beckoning warmth beside him. He gave a soft smile with his eyes still closed and snuggled closer to the warmth, anxious to be back in the realm of sleep. He was about to fall asleep when something clicked in his mind.

He was supposed to be in Gaara's mansion.

Where there were _cotton _blankets.

So... where the hell had _silk _blankets come from?

And...

...What the hell was so warm beside him?

Naruto, being the naturally unusual person he was, decided to use his hands to find out, versus the normal way of just opening his eyes.

He gingerly propelled his hand forward until it ran into something smooth, warm and...

hard.

_That's... not normal. _He thought, _What is that...? Wait.. that's..._

He furrowed his brows and ran his hands over the odd yet familiar surface. He flinched visibly when he heard a deep, low chuckle resounding from slightly above. He slowly opened his eyes and gasped quietly at what he saw.

Ebony eyes.

Deep, dark, endless ebony eyes.

_Sasuke... _he thought.

"But... t-that's not possible... you're... you're--"

"Sheesh, typical dobe(4). If it's not possible, why is it happening?" Sasuke chuckled quietly, the amusement showing in his eyes. He was in a sitting position, his back up against the headboard of the bed and his legs stretched out underneath the covers next to Naruto.

Naruto stayed motionless, watching Sasuke above him without speaking. Sasuke smirked. "Speechless?"

_Weird, _Naruto thought, staring at Sasuke's face then turning his eyes to his torso.

Now, don't get Naruto wrong. The fact that Sasuke, I-want-to-kill-my-brother-and-have-to-kill-my-best-friend-in-cold-blood-in-order-to-do-so-before-I-can-return-to-Konoha Sasuke was sitting in his bed was very weird. But, the fact that his torso was completely _bare_ was even weirder.

"Can't even answer me?" Sasuke growled, obviously irritated at the lack of an answer.

If he had been paying attention, he probably would have answered, but the only thing that was currently going through his head was- _What smooth skin. It's beautiful... a much lighter shade than mine... it makes me wonder how different it would be if we stood next to each other... if he was on top of me..._Naruto's eyes widened at that thought, but he remained silent.

Sasuke gave a devious smirk. "Well, I suppose it doesn't really matter... after all, your silence just gives me more incentive to have my way with you." He climbed over Naruto, lightly straddling him and leaning forward to where their faces were only inches away.

Naruto's eyes grew slightly panicked with a twinge of excitement sparking in their depths. "H-have your way with--"

Naruto's sentence was cut off when Sasuke crashed his lips onto his. Their lips stayed connected with a simple, yet rough kiss for a few moments before Sasuke pulled back.

"Surely you understand what's going on now, right? I mean, even someone as naive as you should be able to understand this..." Sasuke reached between Naruto's legs and gave a firm but gentle squeeze, causing Naruto to inhale sharply. "Right?"

Naruto nodded, "But you can't--" he was silenced when Sasuke began rubbing slow circles on his crotch. "Oh really?" Sasuke leaned forward and licked the shell of his ear, "But you seem to like it..." He gave another squeeze to Naruto's crotch.

Naruto's eyes screwed shut, a blush spreading across his face before giving a sharp, quick nod. Sasuke smirked above him, and started nibbling on Naruto's earlobe, then sucking it between his lips and giving slow licks every once in a while before doing the same to the other side.

Sasuke pulled Naruto's wife-beater up, revealing his smooth, tan chest. He gave feather light touches across his chest, admiring the beauty of the human before him.

He then leaned forward and licked one of the nipples tentatively, earning a strangled moan from Naruto. Sasuke gave an evil smirk and licked it once more before closing his mouth around it and sucking harshly. Naruto gave another moan when Sasuke did more feather light touches on the other nipple before rubbing it and tweaking it.

After a while, Sasuke released Naruto's nipple and looked up to see a lightly panting and blushing Naruto, watching his every movement. Sasuke watched Naruto for a moment before scooting back and pulling down Naruto's pajama pants and tossing them to the side. He slowly pulled down Naruto's boxers, pooling around Naruto's ankles, revealing his large member.

Sasuke eyed Naruto's cock for a minute before Naruto spoke up, "You like what you see?" He said teasingly.

The amusement was back full power in Sasuke's eyes before he nodded and leaned forward, blowing on Naruto's member lightly. "Yes, I like it very much." He chuckled as Naruto's cock gave a slight twitch.

He looked up again to see Naruto still watching him, overflowing desire clearly written on his features. He gave a slightly un-Sasuke-ish smile before give an experimental lick to the head of Naruto's dick.

Naruto let out a loud moan, his toes curling and his fingers grasping the silken sheets tightly. "M-more..." he groaned, "more..!"

Sasuke smirked yet again. "As you wish." He leaned forward and took Naruto fully into his mouth. Surprised at the action and instant sensations, Naruto bit into his hand hard, trying not to scream in his pleasure and ecstasy. Sasuke expertly swirled his tongue around Naruto's cock, his hands holding down Naruto's waist to keep Naruto from fucking his mouth and causing the gag reflex.

"Aaahhh... Nnnnn...S-sas-ke... I'm, I'm gonna--" Naruto murmured lowly. Sasuke instantly released Naruto's member from his mouth and firmly held the base of his cock. Naruto whined pitifully, "Sas-ke..! Let me cume!" Sasuke shook his head. "No, you don't cum until I cum."

Using his free hand, Sasuke pulled down his pants, his boxers swiftly following. His hands still around Naruto's cock, he put three fingers in his own mouth dragging his tongue leisurely across them, wetting them generously with saliva. He pulled his fingers in and out slowly, maintaining eye-contact with Naruto the whole time. He pulled the fingers out slowly and moved them down to Naruto's rear end, tracing the opening there.

Naruto's eyes grew wide. "No, not there..!" Sasuke quickly plunged a finger inside of Naruto, Naruto's body trying to get used to the appendage being stuck in such an unusual place. After moving it around for a while, he stuck in a second finger, doing a slight scissoring motion and rubbing the inside lightly. Naruto's eyes were screwed shut as he waited for the next finger. After very little waiting, the third finger entered and began scissoring motions and light thrusts. Because of the pain, Naruto's member was no longer needing release, letting Sasuke use his other hand to massage Naruto's buttocks.

Sasuke leaned forward and whispered in his ear, "it's okay, Naruto. Relax. It's just me. I would never do anything to hurt you... Just relax. It'll feel really good soon..."

At first, Naruto's eyes had begun tearing up but after a few minutes of simple thrusts it had turned from plain to... pleasure. Simple pleasure. It was still a little painful, but the pleasure was beginning to overshadow the pain immensely.

Sasuke continued thrusting his fingers in and out of Naruto, Naruto soon moaning in pleasure and feeling the urge to wrap his legs around Sasuke. Soon, he was feeling the warning signs of release and began to tremble in anticipation.

Sasuke noticed this and stopped, positioning his member at Naruto's entrance before he looked up at the panting blond, silently asking if he really wanted what was about to happen.

Looking into Sasuke's eyes, Naruto gave a devious smile and gave into his urge, wrapping his legs around Sasuke, pushing himself onto the head of Sasuke's cock.

"Fuck me, Sasuke."

Sasuke's eyes gained a feral look before he said deviously, "You asked for it." He pulled out of Naruto just a bit, to where only the tip of his cock was inside of Naruto before--

_**(--A/N-- Sexual scene complete. Basically Sasuke almost fucks Naruto. Nothing really important... Continue!)**_

BAM!

Naruto groaned, lifting himself off of the floor and rubbing his head. He opened his eyes and glanced to the cotton-blanketed bed and frowned.

Why was he on the floor?

Images from the dream flooded his mind, his eyes widening and his mouth falling open comically. He looked down at his pants and nearly yelled out loud about how displeased he was about the large stain covering the front of his crotch. He hung his head, closing his eyes and covered his mouth, the muffled words coming out of his mouth almost unclear.

_Almost._

"Oh my kami, I have a thing for Sasuke."

**-Chapter End-**

(1) - wabaki - the indoor shoes that Japanese people wear to keep the indoors a little more clean (I remembered! ...I have to change that on the second chapter...)

(2) - Chuunin - a level of shinobi-above genin (lowest after academy student) and below jounin (highest under hokage, hunter-nin and ANBU) -NOTE- Chuunin exam is when Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura took the written test and entered the Forest of Death. (Also when Orochimaru is introduced)

(3) - gochisousama - said after a meal is finished (like ittadakimasu is before eating), means something along the lines of 'thanks for the meal'

(4) - dobe - Sasuke's self-proclaimed term for Naruto, means 'dead-last'

XxXxXxXxX

**Read and Review! Review, review, review! Let me get some feedback!**


	9. The Favor

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto, for if I did, Gaara would totally wear a red cape all the time. (What? I think he would look good in a red cape!)

**Warning:**

Violence

Language

Sexual Content

Possible Spoilers

Yaoi

KEY:

"talking"

_thinking/talking to kyuubi_

_**kyuubi talking in his mind**_

_'writing'_

**

* * *

**

**Last Chapter of B r e a k i n g F r e e...**

_Images from the dream flooded his mind, his eyes widening and his mouth falling open comically. He looked down at his pants and nearly yelled out loud about how displeased he was about the large stain covering the front of his crotch. He hung his head, closing his eyes and covered his mouth, the muffled words coming out of his mouth almost unclearly._

Almost.

_"Oh my kami, I have a thing for Sasuke."_

**

* * *

**

Chapter 9 - "the Favor" - **Start**

There was a dull thud of a door being slammed somewhere on the other side of the hallway. Naruto gave a small twitch from his sitting position on the bed. Smaller thuds were making their way to his door in a steady pace.

_Ah, _he thought, the fog still trying to cling to his mind. _Footsteps._

The footsteps finally stopped in front of his door before there was a momentary silence, as if the footstep's owner was deciding whether or not to proceed. After a few more seconds of the crushing silence, a tentative knock was heard.

Naruto sat up a bit straighter and called to the door. "Yes... I'm up. What do you need?" The door knob twisted and was pushed open, revealing Temari.

Naruto groggily opened his eyes and turned them to her blurry figure. "What's up Temari..? Why..." He yawned. "Why are you here? Where's my team..?" He closed his eyes, fanning his chakra out lightly before frowning. "They aren't even on the grounds..." he muttered.

Temari gave him a small smile, sadly unnoticed by Naruto himself. "They are at the border of the village; waiting at the South gate."

Naruto's eyebrows furrowed. "The South gate? Since when..? I've been awake for at least 5 hours now... How the hell could they have gotten out of the house without me noticing?"

Temari gave a short laugh. "Well, by the looks of it, it seems like you've kinda been out of it the past few hours," she said, indicating the bags under his eyes and his wrinkled clothing. She leaned against the door's frame. "Kinda makes me wonder what exactly kept you up... after all, you are quite infamous for sleeping like a rock."

An involuntary blush spread across Naruto's cheeks as flashes of last night's dream darted through his head. He roughly shook his head. _No. _He thought. _That never _ever **ever **_happened. Dream? What dream?_

He nearly groaned aloud when more flashes of the prior dream played in random sequence in his head. His fingers clenched the blankets tightly, willing the heat in his stomach away.

Temari raised a thin eyebrow at Naruto's obvious distress, before shifting away from the door and resting her hand on the doorknob. "Well, I suggest you get ready and get to your team quickly before they decide to leave you behind. I'll be waiting at the front door, as always."

Naruto's eyes were staring blankly at the blankets covering his lap, fogged over as he fought to keep from zoning out. He gave a sharp nod at Temari's statement, listening as the wooden floor creaked when she took the few steps to the other side of the doorway, pulling the door shut behind her with a quiet click.

The click was enough to snap Naruto away from his oncoming reverie. He threw the blankets off himself, grumbling under his breath. He pulled his pack out from under the bed and tossed it onto the nearby end table before getting on his hands and knees and pulling out his borrowed wabaki and tossing them next to the door.

He turned back to his pack and began pulling out a fresh change of clothes. He headed into the adjacent bathroom and threw his stack of clothes messily onto the side of the sink before stripping completely and stepping into the shower. He turned the knobs, quickly adjusting it into a hot spray.

A relieved sigh escaped his mouth and he lolled his head, his eyes easily sliding shut. It was the first time in weeks that he was able to have a decent bathing and probably the first time months that he had been able to have hot water. He quickly relaxed under the spray. He savored moments like these. Moments when he could just forget all of his troubles and just relax. Granted, they usually weren't long moments, but that gave him even more reason to hold on to them as long as possible. Moments like these were rare and very welcome. They were pure bliss.

After a few moments, he let out a saddened sigh before quickly washing his hair and body with the provided soaps. He couldn't keep away from reality forever.

He turned the shower knobs until there was nothing left of the spray except a slow, steady drip. He stepped out of the shower, water quickly pooling around his feet. He grabbed a towel hanging from a nail nearby and quickly dried himself before throwing it onto the puddle, allowing it to soak up the water.

Naruto stepped to his heap of clean clothes and pulled out the boxers, sliding them up his legs using his thumbs before releasing the sides, the elastic snapping to his hips. He frowned at the noise it produced, shaking off the feeling of deja-vu. _You know what? I don't even _want _to know._

He pulled on the pair of black pants, zipping them up and pulling on his white undershirt. He grabbed the shirt and held it open in front of himself before nodding appreciatively. _I may not like black all that much, but this actually isn't half bad. Or maybe it's just the fact that it has orange lining.... _He internally shrugged. _Whatever._

He pulled the shirt over his head and turned to the mirror. He gave a small frown at his reflection and reached for the plastic comb sitting on the side of the sink, running it through his hair quickly. During the mission, his hair had grown even longer and was almost shoulder length. He stared contemplatively at his hair in the mirror before a mischievious smile lit up his face.

Naruto pulled open the sink drawer, pushing random objects aside before he came across what he was looking for. He pulled out the sleek metal scissors and experimentally cut the air. The quiet scraping of metal against metal made his smile become almost impossibly bigger. He brought the scissors to his hair and began to snip away at the thick, blond strands.

XxXxXxXxX

Naruto bent over and picked up the sopping towel, tossing it into the nearby basket before gathering up his clothes and stepping out of the bathroom, closing the door behind himself. He stuffed the dirty clothes into the bottom of his pack and pulled the top over it, zipping it shut then buckling it up. He turned to the table behind himself and pulled on the vest, zipping it up fully. He picked up his ANBU mask lying innocently on the table and stared at it for a moment before tying it securely to his side. He picked up his thigh pack and quickly strapped it to his upper leg, patting it to assure himself of the presence of his weapons.

He pulled his pack over his shoulders and strode to the doorway, quickly slipping on his wabaki and exiting the room. He headed to the front door of the mansion, pulling off the wabaki and tossing them in the closet, all the while wondering about their purpose.

_Sure, _he thought, _they keep the place clean, but they're still a pain in the ass. You are constantly having to pull them on and off! _He rolled his eyes, pulling on his ninja shoes and stepping to the main door. His hand reached up to pat the chest of his ninja vest, feeling the distinct outline of the scratched hitai-te. He gave a sad smile to himself before his body tensed up, the unbidden memories of the dream yet again trying to assault his mind. He shook his head viciously, reaching forward and twisting the doorknob, yanking the door open.

"About damned time! What the hell took you so l--" Temari cut herself off after seeing Naruto. His hair was short again... sort of. It was slightly long at the top, still spiking up and out but sort of wilted. But the hair at the back of his head was still long, although trimmed, pulled back into an extremely short ponytail.

He gave a cocky smirk and delicately raised an eyebrow. "Does it look good?" Temari tilted her head to the side. "Huh. It's a crappy, amateur cut but looks surprisingly good on you. Maybe only idiots can pull it off..?" She asked to herself aloud, _just _loud enough for Naruto to hear.

Naruto gave an offended 'hey!' before frowning and giving her a pout. "That was a low blow, Temari. A very, very low blow," he announced before stomping ahead of her. Temari gave a simple shrug. "Not really my problem, now is it?" She gave a feral smile before it formed into a smirk. "Hey, dimwit. Aren't you forgetting something?"

Naruto stopped a few meters ahead before pivoting around and fixing a glare on her. "Low blow..." he muttered under his breath. He reached into his pocket, pulling out the key that Gaara had given him. "Here." He tossed the key to Temari who caught it neatly, opening her palm to examine it suspiciously before pocketing it.

Naruto rolled his eyes at her behavior. "Relax, Temari. I didn't do anything to it like last time." His eyes lit up in amusement at the mention of it. "After all," he murmured, quickly becoming downcast. "I've got a little too much on my mind right now." Temari gave him a sympathetic smile before stepping toward him. She stopped before him, seeming to debate on something before shaking her head slightly and stepping past him.

"Come on. The South Gate is this way." She pointed ahead and started a simple sprint, Naruto starting after her at a slightly slower pace. The dream was nibbling at the edges of his mind. He internally groaned and decided to let his rationality take the backseat before letting the images flash through his mind, the fantasy envoking so many thoughts that reverberated throughout his head.

The thoughts clashed ruthlessly, tearing his concentration in millions of different directions. He let out a low groan before something dawned on him, his eyes widening and his jaw dropping in shock. Temari looked behind her to see Naruto running with the ridiculous look on his face and barked out a laugh, rushing ahead with glee.

_Oh my kami. _He thought. _I fantasized about me being the _uke.

Kyuubi's deep, racious laughter echoed throughout his mind.

* * *

Temari slowed before abruptly doing a flip and landing perfectly balanced on both of her feet before turning around and calling out to the empty expanse behind her.

"Kami, Naruto! I knew you were having some trouble back there, but _damn!_" Her grin grew along with her delightful glee as she heard him call back.

"Fuck you, Temari! Here I am," he shouted, quickly dodging in and out of the trees and coming into view, "trying not to have a goddamned emotional breakdown and you fucking _mock _me!"

Naruto performed a flip identical to Temari's... although with a clumsier outcome.

"OOF!"

Temari burst out laughing and pointed a mocking finger at him. "That's what you get dumbass. As if you could be as completely flawless as I am!" Naruto slowly pulled his face off of the ground and fixed a glare on her, causing Temari to laugh harder.

"Holy crap, Naruto! Your face is all red...! Although.." She gave a mischievious smirk, sending a laughing look at their audience. "I rather like the red of your blush when you explained to me about that drea--"

"OH! LOOK AT THE TIME! WELL, GUYS! I THINK IT'S TIME FOR US TO GO NOW!" Naruto interrupted Temari with his rather loud yell, having jumped up in under half of a second. He waltzed over to Kakashi and tugged on his arm nervously. "Let's go..! We can't let their group get too far ahead..." He shot a nervous glance at Temari who gave a rather large grin.

Kakashi looked between the two with a suspicious expression before he shrugged it off. "Alright, then. It seems we must be on our way. Give Kazekage-sama our thanks." Naruto gave a relieved sigh before turning to Temari and childishly sticking his tongue out, only to have her mimick the action. He huffed, pulling his ANBU mask off of his side before giving a quick grin and snapping the mask into place. He turned and started forward at an obviously hurried pace.

Kakashi frowned after him before regarding the rest of the team. "Let's move out." The rest of the team gave a quick nod and sprinted after Kakashi, with the exception of Kiba and Shikamaru. Kiba gave Temari a knowing look before a feral grin spread across his face. "He dreamed about Uchiha, didn't he?" Shikamaru gave a nod, signaling he thought the same.

Temari's grin widened before giving a simple nod. "You two pick up on things rather easily, don't you? At least... a lot better than the rest of the group." She raised an eyebrow in question.

Shikamaru gave a lazy shrug before pointing at Kiba. "Well, he's always around Naruto now and," he pointed to himself, "I'm just a genius. The rest of them are just idiots or don't care." He gave an uncharacteristic smile. Kiba gave him a surprised look before giving a nod in Temari's direction. "My thanks to Racoon-boy and yourself. Later." He snapped his own mask into place and started off after the others.

Shikamaru stepped closer to Temari and gave another light smile in which she returned. She leaned forward and hugged him before pulling back and giving him a light peck on the lips. "Be careful."

Shikamaru hunched over slightly before giving a long drawn out sigh. "Mendokuse." He snapped his ANBU mask into place and turned around, darting out of the safety of Sunagakure's gates following the rest of his group.

* * *

A sigh of annoyance echoed throughout the small clearing. Suigetsu turned and fixed Karin with a glare. "Why the hell aren't you better yet? I mean, seriously. This is _way _too boring. Quit being such a goddamned whiney bitch and let's _move._"

Karin huffed before cringing and cradling her lower stomach. "Damnit, Suigetsu! It's only been a day! Do you know how long PMS-ing lasts?!" She paused for a moment as if waiting for a reply before answering her own question. "The monthly cycle lasts at _least _3 days! Give me a break!" She stuck her tongue out at him before turning away.

"Besides," she said, "_you _don't give the orders around here, anyways." She gave a low groan before dramatically collapsing onto her makeshift bed, made of a large pile of leaves. Suigetsu rolled his eyes at her actions before tensing up slightly and relaxing moments later. He turned his gaze to the small opening in the trees behind him before calling out.

"Yo, Sasuke, Juugo. Welcome back. Get anything good?" Juugo gave a small smile and laid down his armful of fruits before motioning in Sasuke's direction. Sasuke was carrying a large net full of flopping fish over his shoulder. Suigetsu gave a simple grin before relieving Sasuke of the net, promptly using his teeth to rip open a small portion of the net. He picked up a few fish by the tail fins before giving Juugo a questionable glance.

Juugo blinked for a moment before his mouth opened in a small 'oh' gesture and pulled open the pack on his back, tossing a well cleaned and almost perfectly straight stick in Suigetsu's direction. Suigetsu caught the stick easily and his grin widened, watching as the fish stilled when he impaled it on the stick. He turned around and held the fish above the fire, watching as the scales began to slowly darken and gain a light brown color.

Sasuke sat down against the log and turned to Juugo. "I want you to scout tonight. Make sure nobody comes close." He grunted when he recieved an affirmative nod from Juugo and settled further up against the log, ignoring the uncomfortable way the wood pushed against his back. Juugo picked up one of the dropped fruits and murmured Karin's name lowly before tossing it in her direction.

Karin caught the fruit and gave a light smile at Juugo before taking a bite out of it. Juugo picked up a fruit and held it in Sasuke's direction, already knowing the answer to his unsaid question. Sasuke shook his head in a negative response. Juugo frowned slightly and took a bite out of the fruit, restraining the urge to let out a sigh.

When his fish was finished cooking, Suigetsu let out a bark of a laugh."Ah, my precious fish," he all but cooed, "how I love thee." With that said, he abruptly took a large bite out of one of the fish, ignoring the scoff of disgust coming from Karin's direction. Sasuke, watching the whole ordeal, furrowed his eyebrows almost unnoticeably before turning over to go to sleep. He never noticed Juugo's worried gaze watching him the whole time.

* * *

The Konoha crew halted after Kakashi had abruptly stopped and dropped to the ground. The rest of the group followed somewhat reluctantly, pulling their ANBU masks to the side. Kakashi gave what they assumed was a smile before speaking. "I guess we'll have to camp out here tonight, guys. The sun's already setting." He gestured to the dim rays of light filtering through the leaves of the trees.

Naruto's face turned to something akin of horror, about to speak when Kakashi stopped him. "Naruto, I know you want to keep going, but you're going to have to stop and think about your health. You can't bring Sasuke back if you're tired enough to fall out of a tree twice. Go to bed."

Naruto blushed before grumbling moodily. He pulled his pack off of his shoulders, fishing out the tent supplies. Kiba did the same, pulling out the other half of the tent supplies(1). They quickly set up their tent, Kiba pushing Naruto inside the tent with hushed murmurs. Kiba came out of the tent and zipped it up, gesturing in Akamaru's direction. The dog happily trotted up to its owner, tilting his head in question.

Kiba pointed at the tent. "Naruto stays in there unless one of us," he gestured at the group that had gathered around the now-burning fire and himself, "say he can come out. Okay, buddy?" He patted Akamaru's head, receiving a simple bark in return. He nodded his head in affirmation before heading to the center of the campsite and flopping down next to Hinata.

"Okay, then." Kakashi rolled up the scroll he had been writing in before placing a seal upon it and whistled lowly. A bird shot out of one of the nearby trees, neatly landing next to Kakashi on the log and intelligently holding its leg out. The ex-ANBU gave a low chuckle, tying the message securely to the birds leg. He held out an arm watching as the bird hopped onto it. "Take this to the Hokage. No side-trips whatsoever." He made a sharp motion with his arm, sending the bird high into the air, before it flapped its wings-headed toward Konoha.

Kakashi watched as it disappeared behind the leaves of the many trees surrounding them before he turned to the group, all traces of amusement gone. "Now that that's done, there is something else we need to address. Considering the fact that we have a group of ANBU elites after us, we are going to need to be more swift and avoid them at all costs. Due to this, I believe that some of the group members should head home to Konoha."

He recieved a couple of confused murmurs at this statement. He paused before continuing. "I believe it is best that way. Not only will we have more chance of being stealthy and avoiding the ANBU team, but there will also be more Shinobi to assist Hokage-sama and give her more detail on our mission so far." There was a silence before Ino raised her hand. "I'll go back. I probably won't be of much use here, anyways."

Kakashi's brows furrowed before he sighed. "Well, obviously Naruto, Sakura and I are going to continue the mission. I think we should shorten it to a 6-man team. With Ino out of the picture we've now got 8 people left." Kiba stopped him before he could continue. "I'm stayin', man. I want to help Naruto out." Sakura and Kakashi exchanged glances and both gave soft smiles in his direction. Kakashi nodded.

"Alright then. Anyone else?"

There was silence yet again before Kakashi let out a low groan. This was getting nowhere fast.

Lee looked around at the group before giving a frown. "I suppose since everyone else is refusing to back down, I shall be youthful and step up to the challenge. I shall go back to Konoha, too." Kakashi gave him a blank look, trying to ignore the fact that Lee was trying to 'back down' and 'step up' at the same time. He shook his head. "Okay, then. That's seven."

Hinata shyly raised her hand, causing all heads to turn in her direction. She let out a light squeak before speaking softly. "I believe that Neji will be m-more useful than me. I w-will go back to Konoha, too." She gave a soft smile in Neji's direction. Kakashi nodded. "Alright, then. You might want to get a head start, then. The ANBU group is closing in fast."

Ino, Lee and Hinata nodded sharply before standing up and giving small waves before setting off in the same direction that the bird had taken only minutes earlier. Kakashi turned to Neji and Sakura. "You guys are first watch." He then addressed the rest of the now-smaller group. "Kiba and Naruto are second watch." He paused in his orders when he saw Kiba's startled look. "Naruto will be fully rested by the time it's your turn. Shikamaru, you and I are last watch. Be sure to get plenty of rest, guys. We're going to need it."

Each of the team members nodded before breaking up into pairs and setting up their individual tents, Sakura now partnered with Kakashi and Neji with Shikamaru. Kiba returned to his tent, patting Akamaru on the head and unzipping the front. He stepped inside, calling Akamaru in after him. He zipped the tent up behind him and turned around, smiling at the sight that met him.

Naruto was fast asleep, clutching Sasuke's scratched hitai-te with a worryless smile on his face. Kiba shook his head, laughing silently before laying down to catch up on his own sleep.

* * *

Juugo stood up from his position against the log and dusted himself off, walking to the blazing fire. He sat on his haunches, scooping up some dirt and poured it over the fire, extinguishing it. He dusted off his hands and stood up again, stepping over Karin's slumbering form and headed toward the surrounding trees. He paused a moment watching Karin before looking North-the direction she had quietly said that she sensed multiple chakras from.

Juugo's features hardened into determination, heading North-right where Karin said she sensed the chakras.

It was now or never.

* * *

I was roused from my sleep by Kiba shaking my shoulder lightly. I groaned quietly before covering my eyes. "What time is it...?"

Kiba was quiet for a moment before he spoke, "it's a couple of hours after midnight. It's our turn for scouting." I nodded at his statement, pushing my chakra out routinely before my features twisted in confusion, my hand falling off of my face. "Where is everybody?"

"Ah. Kakashi sent Hinata, Ino and Lee home to make our group smaller and easier to move." I grunted, inwardly rolling my eyes. _It's just like him to do that. Whatever makes the mission successful..._

"Well," Kiba said lowly, unknowingly interrupting my thoughts. "Come on, Neji and Sakura just turned in for the night." He held out his hand for me, helping me to my feet. I stretched a bit, just now noticing that I held Sasuke's hitai-te in my hand. I quickly stuffed it into it's usual spot-the pocket above my heart. Kiba watched me silently before turning on his heel and stepping out of the tent. I followed, quietly zipping it up behind me.

Kiba stayed silent for a moment, then finally spoke. "Well, I guess I'll take the North side of the encampment and you can take the Southern side." I nodded, not particularly caring which side I was scouting. I ran parallel to the edges of the Southern side a few miles away, keeping my senses alert to any nearby shinobi or people. I now had time to clear things out in my head. I was attracted to Sasuke. That much was clear. Kiba's words had helped a lot when he was confining me to the tent too.

_"Naruto, you should be at your best when you see him. After all, it wouldn't be that great if you collapsed after finally catching him, right?"_

I was just about to take a break when I suddenly felt a chakra spike, heading in my direction. I jumped off of the tree branch that I had been on and landed on the ground in a fighting stance. The chakra signal was only seconds away. It was a very large chakra signal, too.

After long seconds of stretched silence, a silhouette emerged from the trees and landed a few yards in front of me, holding its hands up defensively. The shadow stepped forward into the moonlight, causing my eyes to widen in confusion.

_What is _he _doing here?_

Standing in front of me was one of the people who were traveling with Sasuke. The large man who had a bird with him in his profile picture.

_Juugo... was his name, right..?_

I snapped out of my stupor. "What are you doing here and what the hell do you want?" I flexed my muscles, prepared for the attack that was surely to come. To my surprise, he gave a small smile. "I want to ask a favor of you."

Completely caught off guard at the comment, I dropped my arms to my sides, confusion clearly written all over my face. He smiled apologetically before continuing.

"I want you to meet with Sasuke."

**-CHAPTER END-**

(1) - "other half of the tent supplies" - Sorry if this is confusing. Basically since they share tents they split up the load to make things easier and more fair.

_Review,_

**Review,**

**_Review!!_**


	10. The Meeting

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. If I did, Iruka would totally be Kakashi's uke. (What? Stop giving me those looks!)

**Warning:**

Violence

Language

Sexual Content

Possible Spoilers

Yaoi

KEY:

"talking"

_thinking/talking to kyuubi_

_**kyuubi talking in his mind**_

_'writing'_

**

* * *

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**Last Chapter of B r e a k i n g F r e e...**

_I snapped out of my stupor. "What are you doing here and what the hell do you want?" I flexed my muscles, prepared for the attack that was surely to come. To my surprise, he gave a small smile. "I want to ask a favor of you."_

_Completely caught off guard at the comment, I dropped my arms to my sides, confusion clearly written all over my face. He smiled apologetically before continuing._

_"I want you to meet with Sasuke."_

**

* * *

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Chapter 10 - "the Meeting" - **Start.**

Naruto stood frozen, completely unable to move. His mouth had slowly slipped open into his 'what-the-hell-is-this-guy-smoking' look. His arms dropped to his sides, swinging back and forth ever so slightly. The sound of crickets and cicadas making their loud calls through the darkness echoed all around them. It took a while for Naruto to finally find his voice.

"P-pardon?"

Juugo gave another small smile before repeating what he had just said. "I said, 'I want you to meet with Sasuke.'" Naruto's expression, if possible, grew even more confused.

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Juugo frowned, wondering why Naruto was giving up such a valuable chance before replying. "Well, exactly what it sounds like. I want you and Sasuke to see eachother. Meet. Talk."

Naruto abruptly closed his gaping mouth and fixed Juugo with a glare. "How the hell am I supposed to know whether or not this is a trap?"

Juugo gave into the impulse to sigh before running a large hand through his hair. "Sasuke... he used to talk about you..." He paused at Naruto's widened eyes-he was obviously surprised. "He would sometimes talk about a ninja-of hair the color of wheat and eyes the color of the deepest parts of the ocean-whom he saw as his equal... as his closest friend. Of course, that was on his most talkative of days, but... the way he spoke of you..." Juugo trailed off, seemingly in deep thought.

He started again, "Sasuke hasn't been doing well, lately." He gauged Naruto's reaction before continuing, his eyes scanning the nearby trees. "He's been pushing himself too hard trying to catch Itachi... he rarely eats anymore and the only times that he ever talks is whenever he orders us around. I mean, he didn't talk much in the first place, but... he would talk a lot more than he does now. He seems to regard you as a person... _above_... others. Like you're more..._ important _to him. I think that you can change what's going on before he ends up dying because he's pushing himself so hard."

Juugo turned his attention back to Naruto, who wore a guarded expression. Deciding to let him think more clearly, Juugo kept silent, watching as Naruto began to become slightly fidgety. Naruto bit his bottom lip, slowly increasing the pressure on it until it was punctured and a small trickle of blood ran down his chin. Naruto struggled with his internal debate. He was worried that it might be a trap... but since when had that held him back? Why was it holding him back now? The truth was...

He was afraid.

He was afraid of many things.

He was afraid of a trap.

He was afraid of being reprimanded by his team for going ahead of them.

But the biggest thing he was afraid of was rejection.

That he would find Sasuke only to be pushed away yet again.

That he would have to watch Sasuke's back growing smaller and smaller yet again.

That it would be the last time for him to see Sasuke.

Yes, Naruto was afraid.

He didn't want to lose Sasuke again.

A voice from within the trees behind him startled him out of his thoughts.

"Go ahead, Naruto."

Naruto's eyes widened as he jolted around to see Kiba with a small smile on his face.

"Go on, Naruto. Go after Sasuke. You can't let him get away from you again, can you? Don't worry... I'll cover for you."

Naruto's shocked expression slowly morphed into a large smile, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. He gave a sharp nod and turned around to face Juugo. "I'll go. Take me to him. Take me to Sasuke."

Juugo gave a smile, much larger than his previous ones. "As you wish." He turned around and began to run in the direction he had recently come from, Naruto swiftly following after him.

Naruto smiled a genuine smile, following Juugo. _Thank you, Kiba. I truly owe you one. You're right. I can't let him get away from me again. I promised I'd bring him back, and that's what I'm going to do. _Naruto gave a determined smile and sped up.

Juugo glanced behind him, seeing the determined expression that Naruto had on his face. _So this is the Naruto that Sasuke spoke of with admiration. I can see why._

Kiba watched as Naruto's back grew smaller and smaller, before finally disappearing behind some trees altogether. Kiba smiled. They were finally starting to get lucky. _I'm glad Naruto's still acting like Naruto. Maybe he'll actually bring the stupid Uchiha back... I should probably prepare for the verbal lashing I'm bound to get... _Kiba winced. _Oh well, I'll hold them off until late morning... that should give Naruto a pretty good amount of time. _He sighed and continued the rounds around the encampment.

* * *

Naruto smiled. _Jeez, what was I thinking? I was having a stupid panic moment or something... I know that Sasuke is going to resist. I know that. He's dead set on the death of his brother. I know that. Always have. I'm just going to have to drag his ass back. I'm going to see him._

Naruto's smile turned into a smirk. He was anticipating their meeting, now. He couldn't wait to see Sasuke. To drag his ass back... He groaned loudly, vivid flashes of his dream going through his head again. He then scoffed and scowled. _Yeah right. As if _that _would happen._

He pushed the scenes to the back of his head, concentrating on following Juugo through the dense woods. It wouldn't be very becoming for him to show up with a red mark across his face from slamming into something because he couldn't concentrate. He silently chuckled to himself.

Juugo abruptly stopped, nearly making Naruto gain that previously mentioned red mark. Naruto barely avoided a collision with Juugo by flipping over him and landing a few yards ahead. He gave a relieved sigh before turning around and giving Juugo a questioning look.

Juugo gave an apologetic smile before speaking. "Stay here for moment. I'm going to move Suigetsu and Karin away so that you can have more privacy. I'll flare my chakra to let you know when the coast is clear. Be sure to cover your chakra as much as possible... Sasuke is very cautious." Juugo made to step toward their small encampment when he was stopped by Naruto's hand on his shoulder.

Naruto hesitated before asking the question that had been on his mind for a while. "Why... why are you doing this? Sasuke has clearly been trying to stay away from me... He would probably kill you for doing something like this..."

Juugo smiled at Naruto, gently brushing his hand off of his shoulder and stepping forward. "Like I said before... I think you can heal Sasuke... in more ways than one. He regards you as one of his important people. He _needs _you." Naruto's eyes widened at the last sentence. He was unable to reply as Juugo quickly took off into the clearing.

Naruto stood at the edge of the clearing, hidden behind the trees and his chakra masked. The only thing that went through his head was Juugo's last quiet sentence, repeating over and over.

Sasuke needed Naruto.

Sasuke needed him.

Sasuke _needed _him.

He almost couldn't process that. It couldn't have been possible. Who would need _him? _He was just Naruto-the demon boy. Container of the Kyuubi no Yoko. The ninth and final Jinchuuriki.

Who needed _him?_

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt the slight chakra spike of Juugo on the opposite side of the clearing. He poked his head out from behind the trees just in time to catch the silhouette of Juugo with two lumps hanging limply off of his shoulders-undoubtedly his nakama.

Naruto cautiously creeped out of the cover of the trees, heading to the center of the clearing. In the center of the clearing was a small campfire that had been put out a little over an hour ago. There were logs and rocks situated around the aforementioned campfire.

Naruto strained his eyes to see better in the dark, before finally giving up. He gave a soft sigh before addressing Kyuubi in his mind. _Kyuubi... could you...? _He left the question unsaid.

Kyuubi gave a soft grunt. _**Fine, gaki. **_He sent a small amount of his chakra to Naruto's eyes, tinting them a bluish-purple. The unbidden memories of Kyuubi's past attacked him again, screams of terror echoing through his head. He let out a soft whimper, his eyes clenched tightly closed as the memories faded away. He opened his eyes after a few moments-the difference in his sight was very distinct.

He could clearly see each and every groove in the logs, the slight decay in random parts of the wood. He stepped closer to see a person slumped against one of the logs.

Sasuke.

He was wearing the same garments that he wore the last time that they ran into each other. He wore the black hakama(1) with the navy blue waist kimono on top, the purple obi(2) with his white top tucked in. He still had on his black fingerless gloves and ninja shoes were still on, obviously forgotten about. His Kusanagi(3) and a small pack lay a mere few inches away.

Naruto's breath hitched as he saw how Sasuke looked. Just as Juugo had said, it was obvious that he hadn't been eating enough. He was thinner and slightly paler than usual.

Naruto stopped a foot away from Sasuke and sat on his haunches, quietly observing him. Sasuke's top had fallen off of one of his shoulders, showing off creamy, unblemished skin. Naruto's breathing quickened when he noticed just how amazing Sasuke looked. He reached forward and brushed one side of Sasuke's bangs out of his face, causing Sasuke's brows to furrow.

Naruto gave a small smile. He continued to watch Sasuke before he felt a tingling sensation in his nose.

_Oh no._

The tingling sensation began to build.

_No, no, NO. Why now? Why?_

The sensation finally came to a peak as Naruto's eyes began to water. Finally, he gave a small sneeze.

Within that instant, Sasuke's eyes had snapped open. He reached for his sword and unsheathed it. The next thing that Naruto knew was that Sasuke had him pinned to the ground with one hand, the sword pressed up against his neck with the other.

Naruto gave a quiet, nervous chuckle. "Um... whoops?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, glaring holes at Naruto. Naruto rolled his eyes. "Come on, teme(4). You should know by now that I am officially immune to your Uchiha glares."

Sasuke jumped away, still glaring at Naruto. After a few moments he finally spoke, his voice unusually quiet and level.

"Why are you here, dobe(5)?"

Naruto rolled his eyes at the use of his old nickname and the obvious question. "Why the hell do you think I'm here, asshole? I'm here to take you back."

"Leave," Sasuke replied almost instantly.

Naruto frowned before growling. "I won't do that, Sasuke. I can't." He stepped forward, watching as Sasuke raised his sword threateningly.

Sasuke remained in his fighting stance, perfectly still. Moments of silence passed by, the sounds of the insects around them breaking the silence at random intervals. Sasuke shifted his feet into a better position, Naruto doing the same thing simultaneously before they shot at each other, ready for a fight.

Naruto threw a kick at Sasuke's side. Sasuke blocked it with his sword, maneuvering the sword in his hand into an odd position and forcing Naruto away. He jumped after Naruto throwing his own kick only to have it dodged. Naruto tried to sweep his leg under Sasuke's to make him trip but Sasuke flipped over Naruto, pivoting around to swing the sword gracefully at Naruto.

The blade was coming down right above Naruto. Using his instincts, Naruto caught the blade of the sword, wincing as it cut deep into his skin. Sasuke's eyes widened, surprised at the action and released his hold on the hilt of the sword. Naruto gave a feral growl and threw the sword to the side, beads of blood being flung in the same direction.

Naruto walked up to Sasuke who stood stock-still and grabbed the front of his shirt. They stayed in the same position for a moment before a thought crossed Naruto's mind.

_What if I just kissed him?_

Naruto's eyes widened considerably at the thought. Sasuke noticed the action and ever so slightly furrowed his brows.

Naruto shook his head slightly. No. He couldn't.

_Why not? What would be the harm? It's now or never._

Naruto's eyes fogged over, his rationality leaving his mind completely. He clenched his fist tighter on Sasuke's shirt, seeing the question in Sasuke's eyes. Without further ado, he pulled Sasuke closer, crashing his lips onto Sasuke's.

**(--A/N-- Sexually explicit scene)**

He moved desperately over Sasuke's lips, willing him to respond-to push him off, _something. _He was really surprised when Sasuke responded, moving his lips against Naruto's as if it were something he had needed for years.

They finally pulled away from eachother when the need for air arose. Naruto was flustered, a distinct and obvious blush across his cheeks. He looked up at Sasuke to see his old smirk across his face before he grabbed the front of Naruto's vest and pulled him into another kiss.

This time, Sasuke pushed Naruto's lips apart with his tongue, deepening the kiss as much as possible. He ran his tongue along Naruto's teeth, wrapping around Naruto's tongue. Naruto couldn't think straight.

Sasuke was kissing him.

Why? Maybe he really _did _need Naruto?

The dream replayed somewhere at the back of his mind.

_Oh _hell _no. Like _hell _I'm gonna be the uke._

Naruto immediately started battling for dominance in the kiss. The corner of Sasuke's mouth twitched upward as he pushed Naruto backwards onto the ground. Their tongues continued their war, battling. After only a mere few moments, Sasuke had won control of the kiss. Sasuke pulled back, ignoring the whine from below him. He stradled Naruto's hips and unzipped the vest, pulling Naruto's arms out of it.

He crashed his lips back onto Naruto's, nipping at Naruto's lips demandingly. Naruto opened his mouth obediently, welcoming the appendage inside. Sasuke pulled Naruto's thin shirt up, his hands wandering over Naruto's tanned skin. The kiss began to grow fierce before he abruptly pulled away. He began kissing random trails over Naruto's torso, delighted in the shivers that each kiss caused.

Naruto reached up and pulled Sasuke's top past both shoulders, slipping them off his arms. He ran his fingers over Sasuke's defined muscles, tracing each groove and memorizing each scar. He gave a quiet moan, arching his back ever so slightly when Sasuke kissed one of his nipples.

Sasuke raised a questioning brow at his reaction before giving another smirk. He leaned forward and ran his tongue teasingly over the dusty pink bud, pulling back and watching as the bud slowly hardened. He leaned forward and closed his mouth around the bud and gave a slow, leisurely suck and swiping his tongue across it again.

He pulled away and looked up at Naruto, delighted at the fact that Naruto's mouth hung open, his chest rising and falling at a relatively quick pace as he panted due to the ministrations. Sasuke sucked on the other nipple, bringing it to hardness while simultaneously tweaking the previously abused nipple.

He moved upward and nuzzled Naruto's neck before licking a trail all the way up to his chin, following his jawline to right beneath his ear. He sucked on the lobe and blew lightly on it, watching as a violent shiver wracked Naruto's body. He licked another trail down to his collarbone before latching onto it and sucking.

Naruto whimpered as his skin was punctured slightly, a small pulsing of pain in the spot where Sasuke was sucking. Sasuke pulled away, leaving a bright reddish-purple mark from his ministrations.

He began to kiss a trail down Naruto's torso again, leisurely making his way to his belly button, enjoying how Naruto's fists and toes randomly clenched to relieve his anxiety. Sasuke began to unzip Naruto's pants while dipping his tongue into Naruto's bellybutton. Naruto tensed, unprepared for the unusual intrusion and gave a small moan.

While Naruto was distracted, Sasuke pulled down Naruto's pants until they were stuck at his ankles. He sat back as Naruto moaned at the loss of his pleasure. Sasuke kicked off his shoes and pushed his knee into Naruto's groin, rubbing in slow, deliberate circles, slowly bringing Naruto to hardness. Sasuke ignored the groan that fell from Naruto's mouth, ignored the fact that it made him harder than he already was.

Still rubbing Naruto to hardness, Sasuke pulled Naruto's shoes off and tossed them to the side the same way he had done to his own shoes. He unzipped Naruto's thigh-pack and pulled something out, unnoticed by Naruto. He set the object to the side then pulled the pants off and tossed them aside. He pulled off his fingerless gloves and tossed them to the side.

He returned his mouth to Naruto's bellybutton, dipping his tongue in before moving down to the edge of Naruto's boxers. He slipped his fingers under the elastic band, pulling them down slowly as he kissed down. When Sasuke reached the dirty-blonde curls, he pulled Naruto's boxers down his legs and off his ankles, tossing them to the side and chuckling at the kitsune's girlish squeak.

Naruto tensed as the cool air hit his manhood, drawing his knees closer to his body. Sasuke pushed his knees back down forcefully before reaching up and placing a reassuring kiss on Naruto's lips. Naruto moaned into the kiss placing his hands on Sasuke's chest and moving them down to pull Sasuke's hakama down.

Sasuke reached down to assist him, still kissing the blonde enthusiastically. When his pants had finally dropped he maneuvered out of them and quickly pulled off his boxers. When they released eachother from the kiss, Naruto looked up at Sasuke, enthralled by his beauty. His cock stood tall and at attention.

Naruto blushed at the size of Sasuke, remembering how large he had been in his dream. Sasuke chuckled at the look that Naruto was sending to his groin before he leaned over and licked at the tip of Naruto's cock. Naruto stilled, all thoughts going back to the pleasure that was pulsing throughout his body.

Sasuke smirked deviously before opening his mouth over Naruto's cock, slowly lowering Naruto's cock into his cavern without breathing and without touching it in anyway whatsoever. Abruptly, Sasuke closed his mouth around Naruto's manhood, issuing a loud, gutteral moan from Naruto. Sasuke fisted what little of Naruto's cock he couldn't reach, caressing it with feather soft touches. He used his other hand to palm Naruto's balls, teasing them and rolling them in his hand.

Sasuke began to suck, swiping his tongue around the sides and teasing the slit at random points. Naruto's fingers and toes dug into the dirt below them, panting, writhing and moaning at the pleasure. Sasuke drug his teeth up from the back to the tip, causing Naruto's mouth to fall open in a silent scream. Naruto was already beginning to feel the white hot beginnings of pleasure pooling in his abdomen. Sasuke looked up from his position at Naruto's expression and pulled away, the cool air hitting Naruto's sex. Naruto cried out in displeasure, missing the wet hot heat that was sure to bring him to completion.

Sasuke tightened his fist around the base of Naruto's shaft, causing Naruto to groan. "Let me cum..!" Naruto croaked quietly.

Sasuke shook his head amusedly and leaned forward, murmuring into his ear.

"Nope. You can't cum until I cum."

Sasuke reached for the item that he had removed from Naruto's thigh-pack earlier. He held the tube with one hand and bit the cap with teeth, twisting it off. He spit the cap out of his mouth and directly applied the medical cream onto his own throbbing erection. He tossed the tube to the side and rubbed the cream over his cock, scooping up a small bit for his fingers.

He released Naruto's shaft and covered his first three fingers in the cream. He prodded Naruto's puckered entrance, pushing past the tight ring of muscles with his first finger as Naruto tensed at the foreign intrusion.

He pulled his finger out a bit before pushing back in, twisting it around and rubbing the inside of Naruto's ass. After a few moments of this, he added a second finger, pulling in and out and making slight scissoring motions. When Naruto had relaxed a bit more, he gently added the third and final finger, thrusting the appendages in and out, making scissoring motions, trying to loosen Naruto up and prepare him for what was to come.

When it seemed that Naruto enjoyed the small thrusting motions, he pulled his fingers out completely, smirking at the annoyed groan that Naruto allowed to slip past his lips. He threw Naruto's legs over his shoulders and positioned his throbbing cock at Naruto's entrance, poking the puckered muscles with his tip. Naruto forced himself to relax, anticipating the coming intrusion.

Sasuke slowly pushed the head of his cock past the muscles, pausing as Naruto let out a loud cry. He pushed further into Naruto and stopped when he was fully sheathed. Tears were streaming out of Naruto's eyes, he was biting his bottom lip, clenching and unclenching his jaw, determined not to cry at the pain. By now his cock had softened, the white hot pleasure at his gut long gone.

Sasuke leaned forward and licked the tears away from Naruto's face, kissing his eyelids. After a few moments Naruto nodded his head and spoke quietly.

"Go ahead and move."

Needing no further prompting, Sasuke pulled out slightly and pushed back in. He repeated the actions, pulling out a little further each time. Finally he was pulled out until only his tip was inside of Naruto. He looked at Naruto who looked back at him with watery eyes. Naruto nodded.

Sasuke abruptly slammed in, hitting a bundle of nerves that made Naruto see white and feel hot, pure pleasure.

"Th-there, Sasuke! There! D-do it again!"

"Hn."

Sasuke pulled back out and slammed in, hitting the same spot. Naruto arched his back off of the ground, emitting a loud moan. "Ah..."

Knowing that Naruto was enjoying it as much as he was now, Sasuke began thrusting in and out of Naruto, quicker and quicker. Naruto quickly felt the pleasure pooling in his abdomen again, signaling his completion was yet again near. After a few more thrusts, Naruto gave a loud

moan, and called Sasuke's name, his seed spurting from his cock and dirtying his and Sasuke's abdomen.

Naruto's muscles clenched around Sasuke's cock, pushing Sasuke over the edge. Sasuke called out a strangled word, releasing his seed into Naruto and slumped forward. He laid on top of Naruto, trying to regain his normal breathing pattern.

He finally pulled out of Naruto and rolled over, gazing up at the stars that were starting to dim due to the faint light shining from the east.

**(****--A/N-- Sexually Explicit Scene Complete)**

Sasuke gave a quiet sigh and sat up, turning to Naruto-his eyes softening at the sight of Naruto already asleep. He leaned forward and brushed Naruto's hair out of his face before he abruptly stood up. He pulled a canteen of water out of his pack, pouring it over himself and washing away the semen, doing the same to Naruto.

He put Naruto's boxers on him before getting dressed in his own clothes. He pulled his pack on his back and picked up the discarded sword, sheathing it. He stuck it into the obi and headed towards the trees where he felt Juugo's chakra, turning back only once to engrave the memory of Naruto's peacefully sleeping form in his head.

* * *

Naruto awoke in the morning to find himself half naked and alone. Tears filled his eyes at the realization as he smiled bitterly.

_Of course nobody would want me. Especially not Sasuke._

Naruto pulled himself into a fetal postion, burying his head in his knees and began to cry out all of his sorrow.

What Naruto didn't know was how lovingly Sasuke had brushed his hair aside.

What Naruto didn't know was that Sasuke looked back at Naruto's slumbering form to engrave the image in his head.

What Naruto didn't know was that Sasuke called his name when he had been brought over the edge.

**-Chapter End-**

(1) - hakama - Japanese term, basically "loose pants"

(2) - obi - that really ugly purple rope that Sasuke wears around his waist in Shippuuden

(3) - Kusanagi - a short katana that Sasuke carries around in Shippuuden, conducts electricity

(4) - teme - Naruto's nickname for Sasuke, Japanese term for "bastard"

(5) - dobe - Sasuke's nickname for Naruto, Japanese term for "dead-last"

XxXxXxXxX

_Review,_

**Review,**

**_Review!!!_**


	11. The Depression

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. If I did, Orochimaru would have been savagely ripped apart upon his death.

Don't ask.

**Warning: **

Violence

Language

Sexual Content

Possible Spoilers

Yaoi

KEY:

"talking"

_thinking/talking to kyuubi_

_**kyuubi talking in his mind**_

_'writing'_

**

* * *

**

**Last Chapter of B r e a k i n g F r e e...**

_Naruto pulled himself into a fetal position, burying his head in his knees and began to cry out all of his sorrow._

_What Naruto didn't know was how lovingly Sasuke had brushed his hair aside._

_What Naruto didn't know was that Sasuke looked back at Naruto's slumbering form to engrave the image in his head._

_What Naruto didn't know was that Sasuke called his name when he had been brought over the edge._

**

* * *

**

Chapter 11 - "the Melancholy" - **Start**

A sigh echoed throughout the room, followed by the rustling of fabric and the sound of a person shifting. More silence ensued before the sounds were repeated.

"This is way too boring." A deep voice was heard, the words echoing all around the two figures in the dark room.

"Is it time yet?"

Silence.

"Well? Is it?"

Across the room, two eyes slid open, revealing the red eyes of a mastered Sharingan. The owner of the eyes gave a slow sigh.

"Yes, Kisame. It is time."

Kisame gave a deliberately maniacal chuckle. "Finally! Let's go, then." He heaved his Samehada over his shoulder, starting for the door.

"Retrieve Tobi. He will be joining us."

Kisame sneered in Itachi's general direction. "Tch. That annoying brat?" He rolled his eyes.

"Just do it."

Kisame growled under his breath. "Yeah, yeah."

* * *

When Kiba finally arrived with a sheepish look on his face, the rest of the team trailing behind him, the sun had already risen to its mid-morning position. Kiba turned around to face the small group, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck-a habit that he had picked up from Naruto. He begun walking backwards in a fast pace, easily keeping a steady distance from the 4-man group that was following him.

Each of the members (excluding Shikamaru) had deep frowns on their face, looking as if they were keeping themselves from whopping Kiba upside the head.

"Heheh... _Here _it is. I could have _sworn _that he went north.." Kiba chuckled nervously.

Kakashi growled menacingly under his breath, stepping forward at a faster pace and pushed Kiba lightly to the side. "Enough of your bullshit, Kiba. Why the hell were you keeping us from finding--"

Kakashi abruptly cut himself off and froze in his spot, his eyes slightly wide. Sakura's expression changed to worry as she stepped up to him, pulling on his sleeve a bit.

"Kakashi-sensei? What is it? What's wrong?"

Kakashi shook his head slowly, staring blankly ahead. "The chakra signature..." he muttered under his breath. Kiba flinched, knowing exactly what he was talking about. Neji and Shikamaru exchanged wary glances before fanning out their chakra.

Sakura frowned and closed her eyes, following the other two's example, she lightly fanned out her chakra. She gasped almost immediately.

"Sasuke..."

Shikamaru pulled his chakra back in and sighed, rubbing his head. "This is way too troublesome."

Neji gave an uncharacteristic roll of his eyes. "It _is _our mission to go after Uchiha."

Kakashi's eyes hardened at Neji's statement. "Yes, it is _our _mission to go after Sasuke. Not just Naruto's." He turned and fixed a hard glare on Kiba.

"I'm assuming you knew that Sasuke was nearby and allowed Naruto to go after him. Correct?"

Kiba let out a soft sigh. "Yeah. Kinda."

Sakura raised a questioning eyebrow. "'Kinda'?"

"Yeah, 'kinda'," Kiba repeated. "He was actually approached by Juugo-one of Uchiha's teammates."

Sakura's expression fell and morphed into a genuinely confused one. "Naruto was approached by Juugo? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Kiba rolled his eyes. "Exactly what it sounds like. Juugo came to Naruto and asked if Naruto would go see the Uchiha. He's evidently been pushing himself too hard in going after his brother. Juugo said he believed that Naruto could make him think better.. or somethin'."

"Where the hell were you during all of this?" Neji crossed his arms.

"I had popped up somewhere during the middle of the conversation. Naruto had started to hesitate and I know Naruto better than that. He should be chasing Sasuke-no matter the dangers. If he abandoned Sasuke..." Kiba shrugged and crossed his arms, backing up a bit. "He wouldn't be the Naruto we know. Naruto would never abandon his friends. I just helped him in the direction that he was eventually going to take."

Kakashi ran his hand through his white hair. "So you told him to go after Sasuke," he stated for confirmation.

"Yeah." Kiba straightened up, waiting for his punishment.

Kakashi stared at Kiba, looking for signs of stepping down. After a few moments of an awkward silence Kakashi let out an annoyed sigh.

"...Fine. We probably would have done the same anyways..." He motioned to the two behind him, Sakura, and himself.

Kiba gave a smile and turned around, heading in the direction he had previously felt Naruto's chakra.

He walked a few more feet, finally stepping past the trees and into the small clearing that he felt Naruto's chakra signature in. He looked around, seeing a few logs assembled close to the middle, but... no Naruto.

Kiba tilted his head to the side slightly, frowning. He walked to the small encampment, growing more and more worried. The 4-man group following him grew more restless by the second.

Kiba broke into a run halfway to the center, surprising his teammates. _What the hell is wrong? _Sakura thought, changing to a run after Kiba. The other 3 followed their example, clearly worried about Naruto.

Kiba leaped over the closest log and swiveled around, kneeling. "Naruto!" He reached down grabbing something and pulling it up, revealing it to be Naruto. The rest of the group landed around Kiba, entirely confused on what was going on.

Kiba shook Naruto's shoulders. "Naruto? Naruto?! Are you ok? What the hell is wrong?! What happened?"

Naruto was fully naked except for his boxers, his arms lying limply on the ground next to him. His eyes were a dull blue, directed at absolutely nothing.

Sakura was terrified. She had never seen her long-time teammate like this and had no idea what could have caused it. She reached forward, her hand shaking slightly, and brushed a golden lock behind Naruto's ear. "What the hell could have happened to him..?" She asked shakily.

Neji frowned deeply, shaking his head and rubbing Naruto's forearm worriedly. "I have no idea..." Kakashi shook his head too, an unreadable expression on his face.

Shikamaru took in Naruto's appearance, calculating exactly what could have happened. It then dawned on him. He turned to Kiba and tilted his head questioningly. Kiba caught the gesture and bit his lip, looking down at his close friend before giving a sharp nod. Shikamaru shook his head sadly at what Kiba had just confirmed. "Well, we had better get him cleaned up."

Kakashi's and Sakura's heads shot up at the sound of Shikamaru's voice. They exchanged a quick glance before nodding simultaneously. They pulled their packs off of their backs and tossed them to Neji. "Please set up our tents," Kakashi demanded as nicely as possible before turning to Naruto and holding his hand out to Kiba silently.

Kiba pulled Naruto's pack off of his shoulder, placing the strap in Kakashi's hand. Kakashi opened the pack, pulling out a black ninja outfit lined with orange, slipping it onto Naruto while Sakura held Naruto up and adjusted his position to dress him easier.

Neji scowled, holding back the insult that was threatening to spill out of his mouth. He gave a silent sneer before turning around and setting up the smaller, individual tents of Sakura and Kakashi. Kiba pulled out the tent that he and Naruto shared and began constructing it while Shikamaru pulled out the supplies for the double tent out of Neji's and his own pack.

Sakura ran her fingers through Naruto's hair silently as she watched the three of them set up the tents. When they had finished, Kakashi had laid his hand gently on top of Sakura's and smiled sadly, pulling it away. He heaved Naruto up and took him into the tent that he shared with Kiba.

When Kakashi came out of the tent, he approached the small campfire that the rest of the team was sitting around. He sat down on one of the logs and folded his arms, inhaling and exhaling deeply before fixing his eyes on Shikamaru and Kiba, sitting side by side on the other side of the fire.

"So. What the hell happened?"

Sakura cast Kakashi a questioning glance while Neji nodded agreeably.

Kiba and Shikamaru exchanged glances before Kiba nudged Shikamaru. Shikamaru heaved out a tired sigh.

"Well, in a nut-shell... Naruto had his heart broken."

Kakashi raised a questioning eyebrow. "And that means...?"

Shikamaru sighed again, getting annoyed at the fact that the rest of the team wasn't understanding.

Kiba decided to explain to the team in a way that they could understand.

"Basically, Naruto fell in love with Sasuke and he couldn't take it when Sasuke left again."

The two ignored the three pairs of widened eyes around the fire and got up to go check on Naruto.

Yep. They definitely understood with that statement.

* * *

There was a sloshing sound in the darkness. The sound of feet running through shallow water echoed all around him.

"Wait...!"

A hand slowly came into view, extended in front of him.

"Come back...!"

It was his hand, reaching forward.

"Wai--"

He closed his eyes as he felt himself falling.

Falling.

Falling.

Falling.

A loud splash was heard.

He put his hands on the ground below him, heaving himself up out of the shallow water. He spit out some water and groaned quietly, opening his eyes.

He saw a figure ahead.

"Wait!"

He began the chase again.

"Sasuke!"

He extended his hand again.

"Don't leave me!"

Sasuke's back grew smaller again.

"Please! Don't go!"

Naruto fell again.

"Please!

Naruto stood up again.

"Take me with you!"

Naruto looked up again.

"Please...!"

Sasuke had disappeared again.

Naruto sank to his knees, his eyes becoming dull. Time passed. Maybe seconds, maybe minutes, maybe even hours.

A deep voice boomed from an unknown direction, surrounding him and breaking him away from his hysteria.

_**Come on, kit. Time to snap out of it.**_

Everything faded to black.

* * *

Naruto sat up in bed abruptly, panting uncontrollably and sweat running down his forehead. He wiped his hand across his face, keeping any sweat from getting in his eyes. On the opposite side of the tent Kiba looked up from grooming Akamaru and gave a sad smile. He put down the dog's brush and slowly scooted toward Naruto.

Naruto began frantically kicking off his blankets and reached for his pack that was lying nearby and opened it. He pulled out different items, repeatedly muttering the word 'no' under his breath. Kiba gently pulled the pack away from Naruto's violently shaking hands and set it behind him. He reached underneath Naruto's pillow and pulled out the scratched hitai-te. Naruto's eyes flashed with gratefulness as he snatched it out of Kiba's hands and held it close.

The side of Kiba's mouth twitched upwards a bit as he saw Naruto slowly rock side to side with Sasuke's hitai-te in a death grip. He continued to watch him for a few moments before a thought occured to him and he gave a frown.

"What happened, Naruto?"

Naruto froze, his eyes wide. He slowly turned his head in Kiba's direction, seeing the worried and serious expression that Kiba had.

Naruto didn't speak. He just continued to stare at Kiba.

Kiba gave a bitter smile. "I guess it was my fault, huh? I should have never let you go. I should have stopped you. I regret--" He was cut off by Naruto slapping a hand over his mouth.

"I..." Naruto's voice was shaky.

"I don't regret it."

Kiba's eyes widened as Naruto's hand slowly slid away from his mouth. Kiba stayed silent, urging Naruto to go on.

"We.."

Kiba nodded reassuringly.

"We had.."

Naruto stopped and went silent. He stayed silent, turning his head away from Kiba and staring at the zipper-door of the tent.

"Sex?" Kiba asked bluntly.

Naruto turned to Kiba with his eyes wide.

Kiba shrugged. "I could smell it on you," he said lightly. He gave Naruto a small smile. "Like I said before, I won't judge you."

Naruto gave a small smile in return and nodded. "Yeah..."

Kiba stayed silent for a few more moments. "So... he left," he said with little finesse.

Naruto flinched, tears welling up in his eyes and gave a sad nod.

"Well.." Kiba paused. "We'll just have to follow him, won't we?"

"But..!"

Kiba shook his head. "Don't give up. You're Naruto. You would follow your friends to the ends of the world, ne?"

Naruto's expression went slightly dull. "Yeah."

Kiba patted his shoulder comfortingly. "It'll be alright. I promise."

Naruto nodded and turned over to go to sleep. Kiba watched Naruto's back rise and fall worriedly for a few moments before shaking his head. He turned to Akamaru and patted the space next to him. Akamaru got up and trotted to the aforementioned spot and curled up next to his master. Kiba sighed quietly before lying down, silently pleading for sleep to claim him.

* * *

The group of four ninjas leaped through the foliage, jumping from branch to branch in the forest. The shinobi at the front halted, landing on a branch and standing still, before holding his hand up to stop the following ninjas.

The three following him stopped on individual branches, watching their leader's actions curiously. The leader jumped down and landed on the ground, the rest of his group following him. The man turned and fixed his eyes on his group members, his gaze lingering on the largest member momentarily before he spoke quietly.

"I believe that they are nearby. Karin..?" He fixed his gaze on the only female member. Karin shut her eyes, fanning out her chakra. She opened her eyes and nodded in confirmation.

"Yes... two of them are 3-5 miles due south and one of them is 4-7 miles southeast. I believe that Itachi is the one southeast."

Sasuke nodded his affirmative. "Alright. You three take the two to the south and I will take Itachi alone."

Suigetsu shrugged while Karin's eyes widened in horror. "But Sasuke! You can't! It might--" Sasuke glared at Karin, effectively shutting her up.

"Go."

Karin and Suigetsu continued in the direction that the group had been heading, following Sasuke's orders. Juugo lingered behind.

"It seemed as though you wanted to speak to me..." Juugo said knowingly.

"It's because of you that he came." Sasuke spoke lowly.

"I do not deny it." Juugo gave a small smile.

Sasuke stared at Juugo for a moment before turning away and murmuring something quietly and then darting off into the trees.

Juugo smiled, turning in the direction that Karin and Suigetsu had gone, pleased that his small plan had worked effectively.

After all, it wasn't every day that you heard Sasuke say 'thank you'.

**-Chapter End-**

_Review,_

**Review,**

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	12. The Will

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. If I did, Deidara's ending phrase would have been "see?"

Okay. Really. Stop giving me those looks.

**Warning:**

Violence

Language

Sexual Content

Possible Spoilers

Yaoi

KEY:

"talking"

_thinking/talking to kyuubi_

_**kyuubi talking in his mind**_

_'writing'_

**

* * *

**

**Last Chapter of B r e a k i n g F r e e...**

_Sasuke stared at Juugo for a moment before turning away and murmuring something quietly and then darting off into the trees._

_Juugo smiled, turning in the direction that Karin and Suigetsu had gone, pleased that his small plan had worked effectively._

_After all, it wasn't every day that you heard Sasuke say 'thank you'._

**

* * *

**

Chapter 12 - "the Will" - **Start**

He ran.

He ran faster and faster to where that infuriating man was.

He knew the man knew of his oncoming arrival.

After all, a genius such as he should easily be able to pick up a such a menacing chakra filled with disgust, hate and the will to kill.

Especially when he hadn't even bothered to try and mask it.

Especially when the man with the menacing chakra was his own little brother.

Sasuke had run for what seemed like hours before finally reaching the clearing.

Before finally reaching _him._

Sasuke paused just outside of the clearing, calming his nerves. He breathed deeply in and out then closed his eyes, mentally preparing himself for the fight that was about to happen.

He stayed silent and motionless for a few minutes before allowing his eyes to slide open. He stepped out into the clearing leisurely, his shoulders squared and his eyes emotionless. He walked a few feet further before halting and closing his eyes.

"I know you're there, _Itachi. _Stop hiding." He opened his eyes, his gaze connecting to the almost permanent red of Itachi's Sharingan. Itachi was standing a few yards ahead of him, an unreadable expression on his face.

"We meet again, _otouto_(1)."

Sasuke's mouth twisted into a feral snarl, the growl unheard so as to keep what little dignity he had left.

Itachi gave a maniacal smile. "What's wrong, _otouto_? Do you not like being called that? _Otouto_...?"

"Shut your fucking mouth! You lost the right to call me that when you murdered my family in cold blood," Sasuke said coldly.

"Your family?" If anything, Itachi's maniacal smile grew even larger. "I'm hurt, _otouto. _They were my family, too, you know." He clutched at his robes right above his heart dramatically.

"Bullshit!" Sasuke yelled. He stopped and breathed in deeply, closing his eyes. "If you had thought of them as family, you wouldn't have killed them," he stated quietly, his voice full of long-suppressed emotion. "And now..." His eyelids slid open slowly, revealing the glassy red eyes of the Sharingan.

"You will suffer the same fate as them."

Itachi's expression wavered for a fraction of a second, Sasuke not even noticing the quick change coming and going. Itachi closed his eyes before speaking.

"It depends on if you have become strong enough, _otouto._"

Itachi's eyes opened and the fight began.

* * *

Before they were even within a 5-mile radius, they could easily feel the ridiculously large chakra signature permeating from their foes. It was awe-inspiring and made them apprehensive at the same time.

They ran into the open field, halting near the edge. In the middle stood a blue, fish-like man with a large, multi-spiked sword heaved over his shoulder. Down on his haunches, a man with an orange swirl mask and only one peep hole was picking flowers and singing loudly.

Karin stepped forward, pushing her red-rimmed glasses further up her nose. She scrutinized the two for a brief moment before nodding sharply.

"Akatsuki members Tobi and Kisame confirmed. It's definitely them."

Suigetsu and Juugo both nodded. Suigetsu stepped up a bit closer and smiled viciously, showing off his razor-sharp teeth. "It seems we have a fight to start, boys," he called loudly to the pair.

Kisame sighed and rolled his neck before readjusting his sword and stepping forward slightly.

"Ne, ne! Senpai(2)! Look at this! Aren't they so pretty?" Tobi held up a small bouquet of flowers in different shades of red and purple.

"Ah!" Tobi fell on his behind abruptly, pointing a gloved finger at a blood-red flower. "Lookie! There's a ladybug! See?" He poked the small bug sitting on a red petal. "I didn't know it was there because... because it bulend.... blen... blended in with the flower! See?" He poked the poor bug again.

"But... you wanna know my secret?" He glanced up deviously from his position on the ground, his visible eye filled with glee. "I found him because..." He giggled, the giggle slowly morphing into a loud and unrestrained laugh at the look on Kisame's face, completely oblivious to their audience.

"I found him because he has _black _spots."

When Kisame's face had fallen into a look of pure confusion and then changed into utter disbelief, he gave another loud giggle.

"See?" He used his gloved pinkie finger to point to the tiny spots, as if the smaller finger would be able to show each small difference on the insect's body.

"It has black spots! It was really easy to find it, actually! I knew it was there all along! I bet you didn't know! I bet you wouldn't have known even if _you _had been holding the flowers!"

Suigetsu had become ticked off with the fact that their foe, who was actually rather dangerous, was recounting, in detail, how he found a ladybug on a flower-seemingly without a care in the world. He found it kind of degrading that he had been scared of the man for a moment.

"_HEY!_" He finally yelled, successfully gaining the attention of the child-like masked man.

"Ara(3)? When did you guys get here?" Tobi tilted his head to the side, imitating a curious puppy. Suigetsu finally snapped.

"What the _fuck _do you mean 'when did you guys get here'?! You god-damned stupid idiot!" He was about to charge when Karin grabbed his arm and held him back.

"What the-- let me go you stupid bi--" Suigetsu pulled away from Karin angrily, when he was cut off by her.

"Keep your head." She fixed him with a deadly glare to which he just rolled his eyes at. "Besides, don't you want that sword there?" She pointed daringly at Kisame's sword.

Kisame raised a curious eyebrow at the blunt and rather obvious action. "You want my sword, eh? I bet you wouldn't even be able to touch it."

Suigetsu gave an intimidating smirk. "Ha. I'll take you up on that bet. Winner takes all. Loser is sent to the gates of Hell."

Karin snorted. "Ha! Either way, loser ends up as sushi."

Suigetsu and Kisame both glared at Karin who held up her hands in surrender. "Fine, fine. Me and Juugo'll take kiddo there." She pointed to Tobi who had resumed picking flowers.

Tobi looked up and pointed a finger at himself. "Moi?"

Karin rolled her eyes, stalking towards Tobi. "Oui. Tu(4)."

Tobi cocked his head to the side, emanating innocence. "What's that mean?"

Karin had to pummel the urge to twitch at his question. "You'd think he'd be able to figure it out..." she muttered under her breath.

Tobi giggled. "I'm just joking. I know what you said. I study. Toby's a good boy."

She groaned, the groan slowly turning into a fierce growl. "Oh, that is _it_!"

She shot forward, pulling a kunai out of her thigh-pack and holding it in an offensive position, quickly getting closer and closer to Tobi's position next to Kisame.

Tobi giggled again, this time louder. He stood up and hunched forward a bit before fixing himself into a crouching position.

"Missed me!"

A look of confusion swept across the red-headed girl's face. She was still running in his direction and was going to strike at him in less than 2 seconds. She pulled her arm back for the blow and slashed at Tobi's form to hit...

Air.

Absolutely nothing.

Shock painted Karin's expression, her grip on her kunai loosening. She tensed up and spun around holding the kunai up defensively, hearing a metal _clang_! He had disappeared and reappeared behind her in less than half a second.

It was a battle of strength for a few moments before they pushed off of each other, sending them in opposite directions. Juugo dodged around Tobi and landed next to Karin, pulling her off the ground.

"He's fast," she murmured. "Really fast."

Juugo elevated an eyebrow slightly. "Really?" He gave a small, laughing smile. "I never noticed."

She rolled her eyes playfully at him. "Yeah, yeah. Just shut up and let's beat this annoying brat."

"Ehh?" Tobi cocked his head to the side. "Can you do it? Do you really think you can do it?" He ignored their widened eyes and looked down, a shadow covering his mask. "Are you strong enough..?" His head snapped up, the Sharingan clearly visible through the hole in the mask.

Before the duo were able to get in defensive stances, Tobi shot forward, his hands forming multiple seals in quick succession before he disappeared completely.

Juugo's eyes widened. "What in the seven hells..."

Without warning, Karin flew backwards landing in a jumbled heap, droplets of blood flying in the opposite direction.

"Karin!!"

Juugo ran in her direction, stopping at her yell.

"Watch out!"

He turned his head to the side to see Tobi a little over a foot away. Tobi giggled maniacally, bringing down the long blade in his hand, successfully slicing a deep cut in the arm that Juugo had brought up defensively.

Juugo jumped back, pulling out a kunai and simultaneously yelling in Karin's direction. "Are you alright?"

Karin had already gotten to her feet and answered, "yeah." She unconsciously held the bleeding wound just under her waist. "It's just a scratch. I think it's time for us to go on the offensive."

Juugo chanced a glance in her direction, a small smile on his face. "Yes. It is."

"Just watch out for that teleportation jutsu of his. Due to all of the commotion I had completely forgotten all about it."

Juugo nodded. "Yeah."

Karin smirked. "Well then," she said, pulling out a short blade with an unforgiving gleam passing through her eyes. "Let's do this."

She shot forward with the blade raised.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the clearing Kisame and Suigetsu were head to head in an old-fashioned sword battle. With their blades offensively clashing against each other, they pushed back from each other, each with a devious grin.

"Not too bad. Jii-san(5)."

Kisame's previous smirk was wiped off his face at the last comment. "'Jii-san? What the hell, gaki? I just recently turned 32... not that it matters..." His expression had turned blank before realization spread across his features. "You don't even need to know that...!"

Kisame rushed Suigetsu, sparing him no time. Suigetsu's eyes widened as he narrowly dodged Samehada being swung horizontally. He swerved around doing a complete 180, adding force to the swing of his own large sword.

For a moment, Kisame's eyes had zoned in on Suigetsu's sword before narrowing in delighted amusement.

"Eh..? Now that I think about it... that sword isn't even rightfully yours, is it? Isn't that Zabuza's sword?"

Suigetsu's smirk returned. "It _was. _But in case you haven't heard, Zabuza-senpai's 7 feet below. He's dead."

"Tch. I knew that gaki was dead... but to think you took his prized sword..." He smiled bemusedly. "It's useless to go after my sword you know. Virtually impossible for you to use it."

Suigetsu's eyes claimed a questioning gleam as he jumped back a few yards.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Kisame just chuckled in response before charging at Suigetsu.

Without warning, multiple kunai descended from above, a net connected to them in the middle, making him dodge to the side. His eyes widened as his eyes shot to the ground.

He had realized too late.

The ground promptly detonated under Kisame's feet.

The sound earned the attention of Suigetsu's two teammates. Karin and Juugo ran in Suigetsu's direction as he leaned toward Kisame's charred body.

"You see, when you were to busy being all ga-ga over your age, I took the time to set up this trap." Suigetsu pointed at upturned rocks that had burnt paper-notes and a still-smoldering net. "All I had to do was make a clone and have it distract you as I tossed these highly-potent paper-notes at your feet." He pulled a couple of unused ones out of his pocket and fanned them out to demonstrate. "These are brand-new on the market. More than 10 times as powerful as the originals. Definitely a must-have." He mused aloud, re-pocketing the paper slips.

He patted Kisame's still cheek. "I didn't think you would fall for it, but..." He shrugged. "Looks like I over estimated Akatsuki." He gave a feral grin. "Looks like the gaki wins, ne, Jii-chan?" He gave the lifeless body a devious smile before fixing his eyes on Kisame's right hand wrapped firmly around the hilt of the Samehada. He kicked the blue fish-man's hand, making the scaled sword roll out of his grasp before stopping a few feet away.

Karin and Juugo arrived at his side as he stopped next to the sword.

Karin leaned around Suigetsu and whistled at Kisame's body, impressed. "Wow... you got him good didn't you?" She gave a small frown and nudged his lifeless form. "Damn. Looks like it's impossible to make him into sushi. He's likely to be better off as roast-fish."

Suigetsu growled at Karin's ill-found humor and sat on his haunches, reaching for the hilt of the scaled blade. Just as he wrapped his hand around it, spikes protruded from the hilt, embedding themselves into Suigetsu's palm, making him quickly retract it.

"_Fuck!_"

He pulled his hand close to his chest and cradled it, silently urging the pain to go away.

"Well, now I know what he was talking about earlier. I guess I don't really need another sword..." He stood up from his position on the ground, kicking Samehada back to it's dead owner and silently regarded Juugo and Karin for a moment.

After an awkward silence, Karin bristled. "What is it?!"

"So, how did your fight go? The annoyance dead?"

Juugo's jaw slackened slightly and Karin's eye's widened. She clasped her hands together and quickly formed a few seals.

"Mind's Eye of the Kagura!"

She snapped her eyes shut, her brow furrowing in concentration. Suigetsu and Juugo waited in silence until she slowly pulled her hands apart and let her eyes slip open.

"He disappeared."

Suigetsu's lip curled in disgust. "Well, that's just fuckin' great! Now what?"

Juugo cleared his throat lightly, drawing the two's attention back to him.

"I suppose we head back and do what we can."

* * *

Naruto jumped to the next branch, his demeanor becoming more and more like that of an animal. They could feel the different chakras fluctuating up ahead and it was making him anxious.

"Cool down, Naruto. Hastiness invites mistakes."

Naruto glanced in Kakashi's direction, his bluish-purple eyes calculating. He jumped to the next branch.

"Naruto..." Kakashi warned.

Naruto released a heavy breath before nodding. "Alright, Kakashi." His eyes slowly faded back to their cerulean blue.

Sakura and Kiba smiled in Naruto's direction, glad that he was back to his normal, reckless self.

Neji remained silent.

Naruto jumped to the next branch, his foot landing slightly awkwardly on the branch and a loud snap reverberating through the forest. He plummeted to the ground, twisting in the air to land safely on his feet.

His teammates followed quickly after, each calling his name. They landed around him, each taking up separate stances to protect their friend and nakama.

"Damn!" Kiba muttered loud enough for the whole group to hear. "I totally forgot about them with everything else going on."

A figure shot forward from behind a tree, a longsword raised. They brought the blade down, stabbing it into the ground where Kiba had been mere milliseconds before. The figure swung around to face Kiba who delivered a punch in the person's gut, sending them flying past Naruto and knocking them out on a rock.

"Oi!" Naruto shouted. "Watch it! What're we gonna do if we get injured via flying ANBU because you're throwing them around?!" He pointed at the masked figure for emphasis.

"Oh, shut up, Naruto! Like you're any better!" Naruto opened his mouth, promptly shutting it at Kiba's pointed look.

"...Fine." He muttered dejectedly. He pulled out a few kunai, spinning them on his fingers for a moment before throwing them in multiple directions, causing 5 more ANBU to come out of their hiding spots.

He crouched down lowly. "Let's just get this over with." He shot forward attacking two of the ANBU while the rest of the team took on the other three. He summoned a few kage-bunshins, creating minor distractions for his foes.

One of the ANBU disappeared suddenly, causing his stomach to flop forebodingly. _Well that can't be good._The other opponent came up behind him surprising him and making him twist around and block the oncoming attack with a kunai and jumped back.

He quickly summoned another kage-bunshin. The other-Naruto heaved the real Naruto over it's shoulder, throwing him at the ANBU as he gathered chakra in his fist. He punched the figure straight in the face, the pale-mask cracking and the person flying into a tree trunk-effectively knocking him out.

He glanced at the rest of his team, watching their fights momentarily. They weren't fairing too well, either. His eyes snapped to his feet when he felt his footing disintegrate. _Mud. Shit._

His legs were quickly being pulled underground, deeper and deeper until it stopped at his mid-thigh. He heard a slight chuckle a few yards in front of him.

The missing ANBU stepped closer, a masculine voice sounding from behind the mask. "Doton; Doro Houshi(6)."

The man pulled out a four kunai and chuckled again. "It looks like it's game-over, demon." He threw the kunai at Naruto's upper-body, the small blades travelling at a rapid, sure-kill speed.

Naruto dodged the first three kunai, but the fourth following one was too close behind the others to give him time to dodge.

The last one was headed straight for his heart.

_**Kit!! **_Kyuubi's voice resounded through his head.

Naruto smiled sardonically in a split-second.

_So this is the end? How pathetic._

He shut his eyes milliseconds before the kunai hit him only to hear a quiet _clang._

He stayed still for a few moments, waiting for his demise.

_What? I'm still not dead...? _He peeked open an eye. _Lucky!_

He glanced down to his vest, seeing a small rip right above his heart and a glint of silver underneath. His eyes widened as he reached into the pocket, completely ignoring the dumbfounded ANBU in front of him.

He pulled out the object with an awed expression as he stroked the metal. "Damn, even while the bastard's gone, he _still _ends up protecting me..."

He grinned at the scratched hitai-te before glancing at the ANBU who had recollected himself.

"Che." The man scoffed. "Just a lucky break, for you, huh? I guess you really do have the devil's luck-after all, you are a demon."

_**Run, kit! Run!! Get out of there, now! **_Naruto's brows furrowed at his inner-demon's outburst.

The man stepped forward, pulling out a kunai and pulling it back to strike. Naruto's eyes widened as he realized his intention and started struggling against the now-hardened mud. He glanced past the approaching man to see Sakura turn away from her own knocked-out opponent to see Naruto's predicament and stare openly in horror.

"_Naruto!!_"

The ANBU swung, an unseen grin etched across his face. "Sayonara(7), demon."

Naruto shut his eyes again, absolutely sure about his doom.

Nothing happened.

No pain.

No blood.

And most certainly, no death.

Naruto opened his eyes cautiously only to see the ANBU slump down to the ground, lifeless.

Naruto's eyes widened as he slowly glanced up, his eyes focusing on silver-blue hair.

Suigetsu scowled at Naruto's bewildered expression and cast Juugo, who was standing a few feet away next to Kiba, an annoyed glance. "Why the hell do we gotta help these losers?"

Juugo sent Kiba's opponent flying before turning and regarding Suigetsu. "Because they can help us."

Suigetsu scoffed. "Yeah, right."

Karin growled from where she was next to Neji and embedded a kunai in the throat of her (Neji's) opponent and watched as he crumpled to the ground.

"Yeah, Juugo. These people are the ones that are after Sasuke-sama. How the hell are they supposed to help?!"

Kakashi appeared between Karin and Juugo, startling the red-head. She hadn't even noticed he had beaten his opponent, nor had she been expecting him to appear in front of them so openly.

"Yes." He regarded Juugo and stepped forward in an offensive stance. "Why the hell should we help you?"

Juugo smiled at Kakashi before jerking his head at Suigetsu, who growled before turning back to Naruto and forming the tiger hand seal.

"Suiton; Teppodama no Jutsu(8)." Suigetsu gathered water in his mouth, spitting out bullets of water into the mud around Naruto, loosening it up.

Naruto whistled appreciatively. "Not bad. B-rank water based technique." He heaved himself out of the watery mud and stood up, regarding the awkward atmosphere.

His teammates were in battle stances, ready to fight off the members of Team Hebi.

"It's fine, guys," he spoke authoritavely, his eyes darting to Juugo as his expression saddened. "Let's hear them out."

* * *

He had been toying with him ever since the battle started.

The youngest Uchiha growled lowly as their kunai clashed yet again.

_This is utter bullshit._

They continued like this for a little bit longer, darting forward their kunai clashing with a surprise attack here and there before Itachi spoke.

"I'm disappointed, _otouto._ I thought you would have become stronger over the past couple of years, but..." he frowned. "I guess not."

Sasuke growled again, slowly becoming more and more agitated. He was already getting tired. It was starting to become ridiculous.

"It's time we end this."

Itachi shot forward, his hand wrapping around Sasuke's thin neck and began the slow and painful suffocation of his brother.

Sasuke's hands clawed at Itachi's hand, his energy quickly fading.

_Dammit...!_

Sasuke struggled to keep his eyes open, watching as Itachi reached into his Akatsuki robes and brought out a rather familiar vial.

Sasuke's eyes widened ever so slightly. _Isn't that...?_

Itachi noticed the change in Sasuke's expression, glancing from the face of his younger brother to the small vial in his palm.

"Ara? It looks as if you recognize this. It seems my subordinate had failed to report some information to me. But I doubt you know exactly what this is."

Itachi gave a psychotic smile, watching as the Sasuke's Sharingan deactivated, his eyes returning to their normal onyx color. The clarity faded from Sasuke's eyes, quickly being replaced by a hazy fog.

"You see, this is a top-secret serum that was developed by some high-ranking medic-nin in the Land of Water. Considering the fact that they deal with water quite a bit, it slowly damages their eyes-and it's become quite a problem for experienced ninjas over there. There isn't any known technology to fix the eyes... so what do you think they thought of?"

Sasuke, who had to concentrate really hard to listen and make sense of what Itachi was saying, thought for a moment. His eyes widened again.

_You can't mean...!_

Itachi laughed at Sasuke's expression. "Yes... it seems as though you understand now. They developed a serum to be able to remove another person's eyes to use as their own. The serum keeps the eyes working and allows them to adjust to the new body and nerves. And now I'm going to use it for your eyes-so that they can become my own!!"

Itachi gave a maniacal laugh as Sasuke began to black out, his arms falling limply to his side. His eyes grew dull before they finally slid shut.

* * *

Naruto had finally managed to convince his teammates that Team Hebi meant no harm.

They were all sitting around in a small opening of trees, Sakura going around and healing everyones wounds to prepare for the inevitable fight to come. She had healed everyone in her team along with Juugo. She skipped over Suigetsu seeing as he growled at her when she tried to approach him.

When she reached Karin, she had smiled sweetly and held out her hand, just below Karin's waist.

Karin smacked Sakura's hand away. "Get your filthy hands away from me! I can heal myself."

The left side of Sakura's mouth twitched along with her eye as she reached forward and grabbed Karin's arm, surprising the red-head. Karin gave the pinkette a questioning look. "Kami. You don't listen do you? Are you thick-headed? I think you are." She pointed to Sakura's hand, still wrapped around her forearm. "Not to mention stupid. I don't need to be healed there. My arm isn't even injured." She sneered at the pink-haired kunoichi.

Sakura's lip twitched again as she raised her other hand up to Karin's arm and promptly snapped it, an audible _crack _resounding among them.

Karin howled in pain. "Y-you bitch!"

"Ah.." Sakura gave her a worried frown, the expression obviously fake. "It looks like you _are _injured. I guess I'm going to have to heal it."

Naruto snorted while Kiba broke out into loud guffaws and Suigetsu laughed openly. Kakashi was snickering behind his mask and even Neji was watching the exchange with amusement. Juugo just shook his head. Why didn't it surprise him?

Naruto fixed his gaze on Juugo, immediately sobering up the whole group with his serious expression and stance.

"It didn't work."

Juugo's brow furrowed in confusion, as did the rest of the group around them-totally lost about what they were talking about in their conversation.

"What didn't work, Naruto-san?"

"Juugo... when you said that I could heal Sasuke in more ways than one... I... I just don't believe it. When I met up with Sasuke, I couldn't even help him... I couldn't bring him back..!!" Naruto's eyes had begun to tear up.

Juugo scooted forward a bit, patting Naruto on the shoulder comfortingly.

"Naruto-san, you did help him. Exactly the way I thought you would. You gave him his humanity back. He talks more and is much more merciful. He is more open and friendly. But most of all..."

He fixed a Naruto with a confident gaze, his sincerity apparent.

"You gave him his will to live."

* * *

Sasuke's eyes shot open, the fog cleared from them as he ripped Itachi's hand from his throat and jumped away, narrowly avoiding his eyes being gouged out.

_It's not over yet. I'll walk out of this and meet him again._

The image of Naruto sleeping peacefully in the clearing danced through his head as he reactivated his Sharingan.

_I will live._

**-Chapter End-**

(1) - otouto - Japanese word for "younger brother"; Itachi used to call Sasuke this when he was a child and still occasionally does.

(2) - senpai - Japanese word, means something along the lines of "upperclassman" and/or for someone who is more experience or has been around longer.

(3) - ara? - Used very often in Japanese, a very childish expression for "eh?"

(4) - "Oui. Tu." - French; "Yes. You."

(5) - jii-san - Japanese word for "old man" or "uncle"; often used to address middle-aged men.

(6) - Doton; Doro Houshi - Earth release; Mud Indulgence

(7) - sayonara - Japanese; "Goodbye"

(8) - Suiton; Teppodama no Jutsu - Water release; Bullet Technique

XxXxXxXxX

_Review,_

**Review,**

_**Review!**_


	13. The Bonds

Holy. Hell.

Ugh! Angst!!!

Sheesh. I really am horrible at updating. I'm so sorry!

You guys are the best. You should start like... messaging me. Stuff like: "hurry up! Update!" or "Gah! What is this? Where's the next chapter??"

That would motivate me.

Truly.

Hint, hint.

And I know this is long overdue... especially for the two whom I promised to have updated sooner for; **shirilyle**-san and **kyuubi no naruto**-san.

Due to my horribly broken promise, I will take any request for a one-shot for this pairing and have it written specifically for the two of you if either of you two request it! (You both may request.) I swear to kami-sama I will write it (although I do believe I have learned my lesson about promising when it will be posted... -nervous chuckle-)

Anyways. The next chapter. Just for my readers. You guys rock.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto, for if I did, Kabuto would have been a cross-dressing woman.

....

What?

Doesn't that totally fit his personality?

Not to mention the amazing combo it would make with Orochimaru...

Ahem.

Anyways.

**Warning:**

Violence

Language

Sexual Content

Possible Spoilers

Yaoi

**Key:**

"talking"

_thinking/talking to kyuubi_

_**kyuubi talking in his mind**_

_'writing'_

**

* * *

**

**Last Chapter of B r e a k i n g F r e e...**

_Sasuke's eyes shot open, the fog cleared from them as he ripped Itachi's hand from his throat and jumped away, narrowly avoiding his eyes being gouged out._

It's not over yet. I'll walk out of this and meet him again.

_The image of Naruto sleeping peacefully in the clearing danced through his head as he reactivated his Sharingan._

I will live.

**

* * *

**

Chapter 13 - "the Bonds" - **Start**.

I leaned forward and covered my face with a hand as I gave a dry chuckle.

"The will to live?"

I chuckled sardonically again.

"You have got to be kidding me." I paused before fixing a hard glare on Juugo. "Do you even know what happened back there? Between me and Sasuke? Because that sure as hell didn't seem like 'the will to live'."

Kyuubi's voice echoed through my head, trying to soothe me. _**Kit... Listen to him. I think he's telling the truth...**_

"Why the hell should I?" I replied to Kyuubi aloud, ignoring the questioning looks of everyone around me.

"I know that he's telling fucking lies!" I stood up abruptly, clenching my fists to the point that they were shaking uncontrollably.

"Naruto-san... I'm not lying. You truly helped--"

"Bullshit!" I cut him off. "He left." I could feel tears begin to sting at the corners of my eyes.

_Pathetic..._

"He left me! How could he leave me again..? Why...?" Tears began to streak down my cheeks.

_I..._

A sob broke from my throat.

_I had always known he would leave..._

I crouched down, holding myself tightly so to keep my body from shaking.

_But I went anyways._

"How stupid...!"

_Did I expect him to stay?_

"...He's _gone..!_"

_Could I have expected such a thing from him?_

"Gone...!" I clutched my chest and let my head hang over my hands.

_How can I expect something like that from _him?

A hysterical laugh managed it's way from my mouth, tears continuing to streak down my cheeks.

_How can I expect such a thing for myself?! Me..._

I could feel my sleeves begin to get wet and smell the faint scent of my salty tears.

_A monster._

"Who would ever want a fucking monster like _me?_" I began to mutter. "A monster. Monster. Monster, monster, monster, monster. Monst--!"

I heard it before I felt it. The loud slap had echoed in my ears before I felt the slight burning sensation on my cheek. I opened my eyes, realizing that I had lifted my head at some point during my tirade.

I turned my head slightly to see Sakura, a fierce look on her face ruined by the tears glistening in her eyes and her hand raised, turning redder and redder by the second. My eyes widened slightly in shock and surprise.

"Sak... ura..?" I murmured.

"Shut up..!" My eyes widened even further at the dark exclamation. "Just shut up, Naruto! Have you no idea?"

She slowly lowered her hand to where she clenched it at her side, turning her head to glare at nothing in particular.

"Do you not know how much everyone cares for you..?" She asked, her voice deadly quiet. She paused for a minute before bringing her eyes to meet my own, a fire in their depths.

"Look around you, Naruto. Look around at this small amount of teammates that you have and tell me what you see." She waved her hand in the general direction of where each of our teammates were watching the scene with wide eyes.

I heeded her command and looked at each and every teammate.

Kakashi.

Kiba.

Sai.

Neji.

Shikamaru.

Suigetsu, Juugo, Karin.

I met every single one of their eyes and felt my heart clench painfully.

An emotion was present in each of their eyes.

Sadness.

Crushing sadness.

Not a sadness for themselves.

A sadness for me.

Every single one of them.

Suigetsu, Juugo and Karin had it too, even though we had only met face to face within the past hour.

Even Sai, whose emotions were small to nonexistent.

All of them felt my pain.

And it hurt.

I felt another sob make its way out of my throat.

_To think I had been causing them pain while I was wallowing in my own..._

I couldn't grasp the idea that my pain was their pain.

The thought made me laugh through my tears.

_And yet that's what I had been doing all along._

I sniffled, wiping my face with my sleeve while blushing from the embarrassment of my break down. I gave a small cough before looking at Sakura who was now smiling, the glistening tears having run down her cheeks and already beginning to dry.

"See..? You're not alone. This is not all of us, either." Her smile grew wider. "In Konoha you have many more people who care for you. All of Konoha is like your family." Akamaru barked in agreement while Kiba came up behind me and ruffled my hair, resting an arm on my shoulder. She giggled lightly before a slightly sad smile adorned her face.

"Besides..." She brought her eyes back to meet mine when they had wandered off past me. "I don't think he meant you to feel this way."

I felt a stab at my heart, knowing exactly what she meant but playing dumb, needing to hear the words she was going to speak. I faked a questioning look, complete with a tilt of the head.

Her eyes wandered off again. "Sasuke..." I couldn't hold back the small grimace at the mention of his name. "I believe what Juugo-san said. Sasuke... he was always so indifferent, so uncaring..." She brought clutched her upper-arm, her eyes slightly losing focus. "But... but with you," at this she looked up, "with you, he was always loud. Always fighting, always trying to beat you."

She gave a small chuckle. "He even tried to give his life for you."

I fought down the oncoming shiver, the memories of Haku and his ice prison coming unbidden.

She gave me a knowing look. "He has always cared about you, unable to cut off the bonds between you two. If you ask me-and I would have never said this a few years ago.." She aimed a playful smile at me. "But, you two were made for each other. And I think he knows that."

I felt the relief flow throughout my body, the stiffness in my limbs disappearing almost instantly. I looked past Sakura to Kakashi, Sai and Shikamaru, seeing them smiling. Even Neji was giving a small smile. I turned to the small, unfinished group of team Hebi and saw Karin give a grudging roll of the eyes but a small smile playing at her lips. Suigetsu was giving me an all-out grin and Juugo was nodding his head and giving a small smile, telling me that she was right without words.

I felt Akamaru butt his head at my legs and Kiba squeeze my shoulders quietly, showing his full support. He rubbed my arm before stepping back and giving a barking laugh.

"Hell, any of us could have told you that! You were just too stubborn to see it." He folded his arms and nodded his head knowingly while I aimed a playful glare at him.

"Uh huh, sure, _Ai no Goshujin-sama_(1)." I rolled my eyes, ignoring his squack of protest and breathing in deeply. I stayed perfectly motionless with my eyes closed before releasing the breath, feeling the tension roll off of my shoulders.

I opened my eyes and flashed my team a smile. "Thanks, guys. I can always count on you." I gave a small roll to my shoulders, feeling the delightful sensation of my bones popping. I heard Karin give a noise of disgust and felt a malicious grin make its way onto my face.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go help Sasuke and keep his ass from dying!"

* * *

When the three ninjas from the mission of chasing after Sasuke had returned, it was to see Iruka, Shino, Chouji and Tenten standing outside of the Hokage's office.

Hinata stepped up to Iruka quietly and asked him what was going on. He turned and regarded her for a moment before his eyes widened and shot to Lee and Ino.

"Are you guys back..?"

Ino made a motion with her hand, silently indicating 'sorta'.

Lee took control of the conversation. "The three of us youthfully came back to assist any troubles occurring in Konoha and to allow a swifter team for Naruto-san! Is the village in need of any heroic, noble, youthful heroes?" He ended the question with a bright flash of his teeth and a wink-the cool guy pose.

Iruka gave a nervous chuckle at the awkward moment before straightening up and becoming serious.

"There is much going on right now..."

Right at that time, a shout was heard from inside of the office. The group of ninjas gathered outside of the office burst through the door, ready to engage in any kind of fight.

Tsunade was standing in front of the couch, her fists shaking, glaring at the two elders in front of her. Homura was standing in front of the couch, his glare equally fierce while Koharu sat on the couch with a stern expression on her face.

"What the hell do you mean 'he's nothing but a monster'?! 'He's not worth it'?! How the hell do you have _any _fucking right to judge that boy?! Have you ever had a decent conversation with him? Have you ever stopped and looked at his achievements? Considered what he's been through? Watched how many people he's saved? Seen how many friends and loyal companions he's made?!" Tsunade was nearly out of breath.

The group of ninjas who had burst through the door just stood silent, watching and waiting for the two elders' reactions.

Koharu's gaze did not falter at Tsunade's outburst. "The boy, Uzumaki Naruto is a monster."

Tsunade's eyes flashed as she pulled back a punch, gathering chakra, totally prepared to send the two flying. She was surprised, however, when a loud crash had sounded and she realized that Rock Lee stood in front of her, having sent a powerful punch straight into the couch, mere centimeters from Koharu's head.

Koharu's eyes were wide, as were the rest of the room's occupants.

_This boy... _Koharu thought. _Rock Lee. _Her mind supplied. _Talented ninja, only uses taijutsu. Known for his loyalty and respect for Elders. Why...?_

The rooms was silent until there was a small cracking noise, the frame of the couch finally giving away. Homura had pulled Koharu away off of the couch before it had collapsed. The two elders stared at the broken couch, split into four pieces, jagged wood from the frame poking out. They finally fixed their attention on Lee, waiting for his explanation.

Lee's hair was over his eyes, not showing the rage flitting over his face. He stayed quiet for a moment before he spoke uncharacteristically low, his anger evident in his voice.

"Naruto-san... is _not _a monster. He is one of the most youthful and strongest ninjas that I have ever known and one of the few that I respect with every ounce of my being."

Koharu had an unreadable expression on her face.

"Rock Lee, it seems that you don't know of his true nature. That boy, the boy by the name of Uzumaki Naruto is most certainly a demon. He.." Koharu hesitated slightly before making up her mind, convincing herself that it was necessary to restore the peace.

"He is the vessel of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. He has the Kyuubi sealed within him."

"We know." Ino spoke up, Tenten nodding in agreement.

Koharu was shocked. "Why... how..?"

Hinata stepped forward, determined to help Naruto in any way possible. "He told us a while back. He told us everything s-straight. Naruto-kun wanted us t-to know the truth and said that we could stop being his friend if w-we wanted to."

Shino stepped forward, tapping Hinata on the shoulder, showing encouragement and support. "But none of us care about that. Naruto-san is a wonderful friend and a wonderful shinobi."

Iruka nodded fiercely. "Yeah. Naruto is a loyal and kind person, who always puts others before himself. He has been through a lot but has never even stopped to complain. He just moves forward. He fights to protect all that he loves and cares for and everyone in this village." Iruka's eyes flashed to the elders. "He has always thought of himself as a monster but absolutely nobody who has met the boy has thought of him as so."

Chouji smiled. "Nobody could hate Naruto-kun. He is, after all, one of the kindest people I've ever met. Not to mention he's going to be the next Hokage," Chouji added in the last for good measure.

Tsunade straightened her stance, ready to add in her piece. "And the boy _is _the _Legacy of the Fourth._"

The two elder's eyes widened in recognition. The other ninjas in the room shot questioning glances at each other. Only Lee, Hinata and Ino understood what the Hokage had meant.

Homura looked around at the group of ninjas, seeing each of their loyal and devoted expressions just daring them to object. He finally rested his eyes on Tsunade, the tears prickling at her eyes at the wonderful friends that Naruto had made. Tsunade fixed her eyes on Homura, showing how fiercely she wanted to protect Naruto.

The two stared at each other for a moment before Homura turned to Koharu and voicing his question.

"Well...?"

Koharu sighed and stayed silent for a moment. Finally, she gave a small smile and turned to Tsunade. The two Elders could easily see the strong bonds between Naruto and his friends. "Alright. Permission granted."

Tsunade's eyes widened as she became absolutely overjoyed.

"Thank you very much!" She gave a slight bow to them as they made their way to the door, moving around the group of ninjas.

When the elders reached the door they stopped and turned, staring at someone standing outside the door. They heard a nervous chuckle as Shizune stepped past the Elders and into the room, carrying Ton-ton. She moved to a corner of the room as Koharu began speaking. "And... Hokage-sama. We are sorry for doubting you and for giving Uzumaki Naruto unfair treatment. We will begin to view him as a proper citizen and noble shinobi of Konohagakure." With that, the two had left the room and closed the door with a click behind them.

"Oh thank kami-sama..!" Tears were glistening in Tsunade's eyes as she stayed still for a moment, still not able to fully believe that such a wonderful thing had happened. She had finally gotten the Elders to understand! Finally!

After a few moments of silence, Ino cleared her throat, trying to gain the Hokage's attention. Tsunade's head snapped up at the noise, her eyes widening as she finally realized that Hinata, Lee and Ino had returned from the mission.

Tsunade returned to her desk, sitting down in the large chair and motioning for the three shinobi to stand in front of the desk. The other shinobi stood next to the large, open window, ignoring the usual protocol of allowing complete isolation during a mission report.

The Hokage ignored this and tossed a blond pigtail behind her shoulder. "Mission report," Tsunade stated.

Ino nodded and stepped forward, pulling out a scroll that Kakashi had given to her before she left. Lee and Ino began debriefing her on everything that had happened during the mission with Hinata adding in her share every once in a while. The blond woman listened intently to the report while scanning over Kakashi's written report, nodding her head periodically and giving the occasional hum of approval.

"Alright then. All in all, it seems that things are in progress. For now, however," she looked up at the large group of shinobi in her office, "we have our own work to take care of."

Each shinobi adapted an expression of confusion, wondering exactly what she was talking about.

Tsunade gave a victorious smile. "It's time to take him out."

She stood up and walked to the door. "Danzo, that is."

Shizune's eyes lit up. "Hokage-sama! You got permission? It was successful?"

The blond Hokage shot her a look of disbelief. "I know you were eavesdropping, Shizune. There's no point in denying it."

Shizune gave a nervous chuckle, clutching the pink pig closer to herself.

Tsunade rolled her eyes before addressing Iruka. "Iruka!" The tan man stood at attention, fully prepared to take his orders.

"You are to gather some Chuunin and Jounin if possible. We are going to take Danzo down once and for all."

Iruka smiled, his glee practically radiating off of him. "Yes, Hokage-sama!"

Iruka stepped outside of the window and jumped off the balcony, sprinting off to follow the Hokage's orders.

"The rest of you are to come with me. We must first get through his bodyguards."

"Yes, Hokage-sama!" The rest of the shinobi simultaneously declared.

Each of the shinobi filed out of the office, Tsunade stepping into the doorway after them. Shizune tried to follow but was stopped by the busty blond. Shizune's eyebrows knitted together.

Tsunade gave an innocent smile. "No, Shizune. You have to stay here and clean up _this _mess." She indicated the utterly destroyed couch opposite of her desk, her smile growing when Shizune's expression became one of horror.

"Good luck!" Tsunade stepped out of the door, closing it with a click behind herself.

Shizune turned to the mess and groaned.

* * *

Loud pants were heard from both sides of the battlefield. Both of the men were beginning to tire.

Sasuke had slowly begun to gain the upper hand, using his speed to tire Itachi out and forcing him to use the Mangekyo Sharingan.

At first Sasuke had honestly been a little scared that he would get caught in another horrible genjutsu produced by that horrid Mangekyo But he had been fine just by avoiding Itachi's eyes and dispelling the genjutsus that he had been caught in the few times that it had happened.

Sasuke drew his Kusanagi, raising it in an offensive position.

The two stayed in their positions waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Seconds passed...

All of a sudden the two shot at each other, eager to rip the other's throat out.

"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"

"Lightning Release: Chidori Current!"

The two collided, the sound of a sizzling erupting and disappearing in under a second. The two stood side by side, their backs facing each other. They stayed silent for a few moments before blood spurted from Itachi's mouth as he fell to his knees. His pants increased in volume as his vision began to fade. He finally collapsed, his eyes still barely open.

Sasuke fell to his knees at Itachi's side, his hands delicately running over the wounds he had accumulated from the battle and wincing when touching the severe burns that he had received. He then turned his attention to Itachi, whose eyes were becoming duller by the second.

Itachi smiled when he saw Sasuke's face, seeing how he was frowning but had a victiorious smile in his eyes.

"It seems you have won... _otouto._" His smile deepened as a scowl spread across Sasuke's face.

Itachi coughed, a trail of blood making a steady trickle from his mouth. He gave a small, inaudible groan as he reached into his Akatsuki robe. Sasuke quickly pulled out a kunai, ready to slit Itachi's throat at any danger presented.

Itachi chuckled. "Easy, Sasuke." Sasuke's eyes widened at the use of his name, the name that hadn't been spoken by his brother's lips for years.

Itachi pulled out a small vial, the vial that he had shown Sasuke before the battle and pushed it into his hand.

"For you..."

A look of confusion overtook Sasuke's face.

"Don't let him be taken from you Sasuke." Sasuke's expression only became even more bewildered.

"You have... people to love and protect. Don't... let them... be taken away. And don't die... before you... can claim them as your own, either. Don't let... the past of... the Uchi-Uchiha clan... affect you. You... are you. And you must live... for the future... For the ones that you love."

Itachi smiled at Sasuke, pouring all of his emotions into it.

"You were the best... brother I could have ever had. I love you... Sasuke..." Itachi's eyes had finally glazed over, indicating that life was with him no more.

"What... the hell was that...?" Sasuke asked himself.

"What... the hell is going on? Why..?"

A maniacal giggle from behind him stopped him from asking the question aloud. He spun around to see a figure hop down from the trees. The figure stood up from its crouched position, revealing an orange-swirled mask and the red-clouded robes of the Akatsuki.

"Aww... it seems like Itachi-san had just had his touching last words for his little brother... who couldn't even understand the meaning behind them!" He gave another twisted giggle.

"It's really too bad, though. That in the end he couldn't protect his most beloved brother from 'lil ol' me."

Sasuke stood up and backed up a few steps, clutching the vial to his chest.

"Ah... you have something... that you shouldn't have." Tobi's voice had adopted a light, scolding tone. "No, no, Sasuke. You shouldn't have that. That isn't yours. It's very dangerous."

Without him realizing it, Tobi had disappeared and reappeared next to Sasuke, knocking the vial out of his hands and catching it before it hit the ground. Tobi disappeared and reappeared back in his original spot, tucking the vial into his robe pockets.

Sasuke's eyes widened as he glanced at his hand before he quickly picked his Kusanagi up and held it at offense postition.

"Now, now, Sasuke. Tut, tut. That is a very dangerous object. You could hurt someone!" Tobi's tone had become mocking, trying to push Sasuke into attacking.

Just as Sasuke had been about to make his move, Tobi reached up to his mask, sighing.

"I suppose that I'm forced to reveal myself. After all, we wouldn't want a fight on our hands now, would we? Allow me to reintroduce myself. Nice to meet you Sasuke..." He pulled his mask off, dropping it on the ground to reveal the red eyes of an activated Sharingan making Sasuke's eyes widen dramatically.

"My name is Uchiha Madara."

* * *

Tsunade stepped over a knocked out ANBU, smiling deviously at their victory.

"Wonderful, guys. A job well done."

She smiled at Danzo who was pinned up against the wall by Iruka and Lee. The other Shinobi surrounded them, prepared for any kind of counter attack.

Tsunade stepped closer and flicked Danzo on the nose, resisting the urge to laugh when he gave an undignified huff, his expression absolutely merciless.

Iruka tightened his hold on Danzo, not minding the bandages that were wrapped around the old man's neck and face.

"It seems that you have lost, you old fart. Game over."

She stepped back, etching the scene into her mind for future recall.

"Wait just a minute..!"

She turned around to the awkward voice to see Konohamaru. She gave him a questioning glance. "What is it, Konohamaru?"

The small, brown-haired Chuunin stepped forward and made a quick, sloppy bow to the Hokage. "I want to repay him for all the trouble he's given Naruto-niichan."

Tsunade just raised an eyebrow and shrugged, waving a hand in Danzo's direction. "Go for it, gaki."

Konohamaru smiled as he stepped to the old man. He pulled his leg back, building chakra in his leg muscles as he brought his leg swinging forward at full-force, hitting Danzo right between the legs.

Danzo let out a low groan, his arms instinctively trying to cover the area as his mighty stance was reduced to that of crumpling on the ground.

Tsunade let out a barking laugh, clearly amused by the action as she rubbed Konohamaru's head affectionately.

"Alright, guys! Our work here is done! Danzo is to be put under high-security detention until we are able to convict him in a trial and put him behind bars. Take him away!"

"Yes, Hokage-sama!" Each of the shinobi chorused together.

_It seems like things are finally starting to look up for Naruto..._

_I'm glad._

**-Chapter End-**

(1) - "Ai no Goshujin-sama" - Japanese; "Love's Master"

XxXxXxXxX

Lord. I am so glad I'm finished with this chapter. It took me nearly 5 hours to write. (I get side-tracked very easily. I'm sure you could easily guess. -coughs-)

Anyways. To the Itachi fans out there: I'm sorry. That was planned from the beginning. And I'm sorry I didn't make the battle this whole epic scene.. I didn't really want to write it all out because, frankly, it wasn't a very important part of the story. The main fight is with Madara. (This one might take a while to write out because of all the research materials necessary.)

Haha. So I'm sorry for the late update and...

Yeah.

I might be editing previous chapters so if you alerters out there receive a ton of alerts for this story, I apologize in advance for spamming your Inbox. (And for unnecessarily getting your hopes up if it happens)

And remember,

**shirilyle**-san and

**kyuubi no naruto**-san are allowed to request one Sasunaru oneshot each.

Thank you for reading up to this point and I'll try to be a better updater and update the next chapter soon!

And please remember:

_Review,_

**Review,**

_**Review!!!**_


	14. The Lie

Okay, then. I finally get in another update. I had yet another project. About the Starkweather murders. Look it up sometime. It's rather interesting. Surprisingly.

Onward, ho!

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Naruto. If I did, Neji would have a secret obsession with red hair.

... Gaaaaaaaraaaa....

(coughs) What? I have no idea what you're talking about...

**Warning:**

Violence

Language

Sexual Content

Possible Spoilers

Yaoi

**Key:**

"talking"

_thinking/talking to kyuubi_

_**kyuubi talking in his mind**_

_'writing'_

* * *

**Last Chapter of B r e a k i n g F r e e...**

_"Alright, guys! Our work here is done! Danzo is to be put under high-security detention until we are able to convict him in a trial and put him behind bars. Take him away!"_

_"Yes, Hokage-sama!" Each of the shinobi chorused together._

It seems like things are finally starting to look up for Naruto...

I'm glad.

* * *

Chapter 14 - "the Lie" - **Start.**

Just when things had began looking up, just when he had triumphed over what he had been working against for all these years...

Things went up in flames again.

Everything back-fired and the red-hot confusion reared it's ugly head again.

How he despised the feeling of being confused.

Everything blew up in his face when his brother had uttered his last words. The very last words that had been said aloud, that had been addressed to him...

That had ridden on his last breath.

It had put a large crack in his world-in what he was confident was the real thing.

His brother had put a crack in his reality.

What was what?

What was it that he had worked for?

What had he toiled so hard for all these years?

...And now this.

A man whom had been behind the scenes for many years decides to take the stage and reveal the shocking and terrible truth.

His world-his reality-was no longer cracked.

No.

...His reality had shattered.

* * *

The effect was nearly immediate.

Sasuke's jaw had slackened, leaving his mouth open in a wide gape-a rare reaction from an Uchiha.

_What in the seven hells is going on..? _Sasuke thought. It was the best that he could put together in his head after being thrown for such a large loop.

"You seem... surprised." Madara's eyes twinkled in amusement. He threw the orange swirl mask to the side, running a hand through his short black spikes thoughtlessly. His eyes wandered past Sasuke, a haze filling their depths as he spoke.

"Although I suppose it's only natural. After all..." His eyes lost their fog and he met Sasuke's gaze head-on, Sasuke's jaw snapping shut as he met the intimidating Sharingan of the older Uchiha. "You did believe that you were to be the last Uchiha after the death of Itachi, no?"

Madara's mouth twitched ever so slightly with the tell-tale signs of a smirk at the corner of his lips.

"Too bad, eh? Sorry, but there's still more than one in this world with the Uchiha bloodline." Madara ended the sentence with a slight sneer.

Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed as he desperately fought the urge to snap back at him. He was no fool. This man, this Uchiha... he was strong. Much stronger than his current self.

And it was frustrating.

Madara gave a small scoff as he noticed Sasuke's wise decision to keep quiet.

"Well... I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell you a little story about the past before I carry things on.." His eyes gave a sharp gleam. "After all, wouldn't it be best for the youngest, most unfortunate Uchiha to know about his lineage? About the lies surrounding his most beloved clan..?"

Sasuke's frown became more defined at these words, confusion etching itself onto his expression. Madara seemed pleased at the change in his attitude and was thoroughly enjoying the fact that he had peaked the younger's interest.

"Alright." Sasuke's voice came out deeper and more determined than he had thought possible at the moment. "So tell me this story. Tell me of this lie you speak of."

Madara's lips pulled up into a visible smirk.

"Very well, then. Considering how... anxious I am to continue with my plans, I'm going to give you a more... _condensed _version."

Sasuke stayed silent, stepping back and eagerly listening to what the elder Uchiha had to say. He relaxed his stance a bit but kept his senses on guard.

Madara stepped back a bit, leaning against a tree as his eyes gathered a hazy fog, his voice seeming far away as he was absorbed into the past of the Uchiha.

* * *

A little over 80 years ago, there was no such thing as ninja villages. Each group of ninjas fought either individually or in clans. During that time, there were two clans that dominated over the rest: The Senju and the Uchiha.

Within the clan of the Uchiha, there were two brothers by the name of Madara and Izuna. The two were close, but they also considered each other as rivals. They were equal to each other in every way.

Madara was the first to awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan, Izuna following behind him shortly. Together the two ruled over the clan, Madara taking the position as clan leader. As time pushed on, however, an unfavorable effect became apparent.

Madara had began to go blind, the effects of overuse of the Mangekyou Sharingan causing permanent damage on his eyes. He continued to lead the clan, keeping his fading sight a secret.

Finally, after many years, Madara lost his sight altogether. He continued to act as the leader, keeping his secret silent. But when a war with another clan was threatening the existence of the Uchiha clan, his brother confronted him. Izuna had found out about his fading sight and offered his own eyes as compensation.

He received the eyes from his brother, gaining his sight back, although is was a rather hazy sight. Izuna's body couldn't handle the shock of losing such an important part of the body, and thus passed away.

Madara fought fiercely in the war, winning against the opposing clan and guaranteeing his own clan's safety.

Later on during his period of leadership, Madara developed an alliance with the leader of the Senju clan, Hashirama. Together they created Konohagakure, Hashirama taking leadership as the first Hokage.

Over time, however, Madara grew worried. With Hashirama as Hokage, the chances of the Uchiha clan losing supremacy grew increasingly high. Madara consulted the people of his clan, asking for their aid in getting him to become the Hokage.

His clan, however, disagreed. They were content with the current status of the clan and the joint clans village. They believed that Madara was greedy, and only wanted to usurp power.

Feeling betrayed by his beloved clan, to whom he had devoted everything, he became enraged and grew to hate that of his people and Hashirama. He decided to leave the village, his feelings of anger and hatred growing over the years.

He finally returned, wanting revenge, leading to a large-scale battle at the Valley of End against Hashirama. During the battle, Madara used his Mangekyou Sharingan to ensnare the Kyuubi no Kitsune, enslaving the demon and using it in a desperate attempt to defeat the first Hokage.

Madara was ultimately defeated and presumed dead.

Nobody noticed, however, that he was very much alive, and fled, gathering his strength for another future attack.

He built up his status under many different alias', a noteworthy one being that of Mizukage. After ending his reign over that particular country, he fled yet again, gathering more knowledge and more strength, pressing forward until the day that he was to attack Konoha.

After many years, he built up a small rogue organization, consisting of a small amount of s-class missing-nins.

The organization was officially granted the name of Akatsuki.

Pain was placed as the faux leader of the group, controlled by Madara in the shadows. Pain was virtually free to use the Akatsuki for his own personal gain, but Akatsuki as a whole was firmly geared toward gathering power to destroy Konoha.

When Madara alone returned to Konoha for his revenge, he came across a young man from his previous clan.

Uchiha Itachi.

Madara and Itachi began to become closer, Madara teaching Itachi ways in perfecting his Mangekyou Sharingan. Itachi gained more control over the Mangekyou Sharingan, but in turn learned of Madara's plan for revenge.

The younger Uchiha was shocked. He couldn't let his most precious village, most precious home be destroyed. Itachi pleaded, finally admitting that he had been charged with the mission of the destruction of the Uchiha clan.

The Uchiha clan had, in fact, been planning a coup de'tat against the village of Konoha. They had been planning an uprising to attribute to the downfall of Konohagakure and the rise of the Uchiha clan. The Hokage had learned of this and given Itachi the task of obliterating the clan.

Itachi's last request to the Hokage was to keep the planned uprising a secret and instill the knowledge all around the village that the Uchiha clan was that of the most prestigious, the best of the best.

Madara was convinced to only commit damage to the Uchiha clan, and thus killed off the clan's members one by one, leaving behind only the brother of Itachi at the request of the young man himself.

The night of the assassination, Itachi convinced his most beloved family member, his youngest brother Sasuke, that he was, in all actuality, the cause for all his losses and pushed Sasuke into hating him. It was the only way to ensure that Sasuke would not see the truth behind the brutal killing.

Itachi then left Konoha and became a missing-nin, joining Madara's ranks and became a well-known member of the Akatsuki.

* * *

Sasuke was rendered speechless.

No.

It just wasn't possible.

This man was lying to him.

He was feeding him a horrible lie.

It was all nothing but a horrible, horrible lie.

..Right?

Itachi... Itachi was the one who killed his family.

He had seen it. He had watched it through Itachi's Sharingan.

He had seen his brother's memories and watched as every single member of his clan was slaughtered one right after the other.

Killed, killed, killed all by the same person's hand.

By the hand of his one and only brother.

By the one person who he felt he could trust.

By the one person who had betrayed his trust.

... By the one person who had caused his faith in all of mankind to shatter.

That was what really happened.

It had to be.

Because he had seen it with his own eyes.

Watched the blood spill from each fatal wound inflicted.

Watched as the glimmer of life left the eyes of his clan

one

by

one.

He could no longer think straight.

His mind was warring over the possibilities. One side vehemently declared that Madara was mad. That he was lying and trying to fuck around with his head.

The opposite side whispered tenderly, telling him that it would all make sense. That the pieces fit perfectly. That Itachi's Sharingan had deceived him.

That he had just killed his own brother whom had done him no wrong.

A scream ripped from Sasuke's mouth, feelings of torment, guilt and disbelief making themselves clear and evident in the crushing sound.

Madara watched the younger Uchiha with amusement, his smirk growing. This had to be the most entertaining thing that he had done in decades. You didn't get to see a stuck-up, obnoxious, haughty Uchiha lose their composure very often.

Especially when there is only one other than yourself, that other being closed off to almost all emotions.

Madara continued to watch the young man as hot tears ran down his alabaster cheeks. He could just hear the thoughts darting through his head. See the emotions war in his eyes.

It was very amusing.

Everything seemed to come to a halt for Sasuke. His rage had finally built up to the point where he could no longer contain it. He looked up, his eyes focusing on the elder Uchiha.

His eyes flashed from obsidian to red and back again as he slowly stood up. He stood tall, giving as menacing a look as he could produce with tear-stained cheeks.

His eyes slid closed as Madara's smirk widened further, preparing for what was to come.

Sasuke reached his hand back to the hilt of his Kusanagi, clutching the handle and sliding the thin blade out from the scabbard a few inches.

His eyes finally slid open, revealing the three spinning tomoes of a blood red Sharingan. Sasuke pulled the sword out of its casing, the eerie sound of scraping steel sounding loudly.

He held the blade in front of himself in an offensive position, his muscles taut and ready for action.

Sasuke opened his mouth slowly, enunciating his words carefully and clearly.

"This fight... is going to have to end with your death."

* * *

Naruto leaped from branch to branch anxiously, his feet itching to increase the speed by ten-fold.

"Oi! Sunshine-boy! Slow your ass down!"

Naruto turned his head to see Suigetsu rolling his eyes, following him a few meters behind.

He growled underneath his breath.

He couldn't wait. He had to get to Sasuke _now._

He was terrified at what was happening. First he had felt Sasuke's chakra flaring up and then it died down again. Now, it was steadily building up into something terrifying, laced with the intent to kill.

Kyuubi's voice rumbled in his head.

_**Chill, kit. The Uchiha will be fine. He's a capable shinobi and will be able to hold his own until we get there.**_

Naruto wanted to believe him, but...

_No he won't._

He could feel Kyuubi's puzzled expression.

Naruto proceeded to explain.

_He won't be able to. We have to get to him _now. _He _will _die if he doesn't have help. He is up against something that can't be handled alone._

Kyuubi stayed silent before asking, _**What makes you think that?**_

Naruto clutched the fabric above his heart, his face twisting into an expression of fear and anxiousness.

_It's just a really powerful feeling. Something bad is going to happen. And it's going to be something devastating._

Kyuubi remained silent, his own fear for what Naruto was insinuating growing bit by bit.

He trusted Naruto's instinct. Him and Naruto had been bonded for such a long time that his own natural instincts had begun to wear off on the young boy.

Naruto's instincts were up to par even against his own. Not to mention the boy already had rather good instincts to begin with.

Kyuubi retreated into the back of his mind, contemplating on the possibilities.

A shock of fear ran through the kitsune. He had never really stopped and felt around, but... that chakra... he didn't like it.

It brought back bad memories.

_**Kit.**_

Naruto slowed down, turning to check that the other ninjas were following him.

_What's wrong? Why do you sound so panicked?_

_**That bad feeling you had..**_

Naruto caught Kakashi's eyes and gave a strained smile before turning back around and focusing on his steps.

_What? What is it?_

Kyuubi gave a frustrated sigh.

_**I believe things are going to get... complicated. **_

Naruto's brow furrowed. _Why are you saying that now?_

_**Because that chakra, the one that is opposing the Uchiha's. I have a past with that man.**_

_A... past?_

He could feel Kyuubi's discomfort growing.

_**Yes. He has an amazing ability, an amazing power.**_

Naruto's limbs became heavy, terror dropping in his stomach.

_What... what is it?_

Kyuubi hesitated before deciding to give Naruto the blunt truth.

_**He has the ability to control me against my will.**_

Naruto could feel all of his former confidence and determination crumble.

The blonde boy choked his words out aloud.

"Oh god."

* * *

Sasuke shot forward, deciding to kill off all of his hesitation.

Hesitation is deadly and could cause your death within an instant.

Especially around a man as powerful as _this._

"Kusanagi Sword: Chidori Katana!" Lightning chakra ran down the sword to the tip, quickly engulfing the blade and flashing off of it erratically.

Sasuke swung, missing as Madara disappeared from his view. He swung around, pulling the blade around in a circle, putting his weight into the swing to increase the force and damage done.

Madara jumped away, flipping and landing gracefully on his feet. He sent Sasuke an amused smile before glancing down at his arm.

"Huh. It seems as though you've gotten faster." He reached over and swiped up a small amount of blood from the trickle running down his arm from his bicep. A small, clean cut tore the fabric to show the skin of the older man.

Sasuke got back into position before throwing himself forward. He held the chakra-laced blade in his right hand as he collected and forced a ball of chakra in the left.

He swiped at the man as he dodged backwards, making erratic steps but only making as much movement as necessary. The sound of chirping birds grew louder and louder, producing an unintelligible screech from the condensed sphere of chakra in his palm.

He continued to let it grow, kicking his leg out and forcing the elder Uchiha into the air. He brought the sword down onto Madara, forcing the man to pull out a kunai and block it, eventually forcing him to use both hands to block it.

Sasuke used the opening as a major chance, forcing his left hand into the stomach of Madara, the lightning chakra singeing the fabric of the Akatsuki robe.

Madara flew back a few meters, landing on his feet and crouching forward a bit. He let out a heavy breath as he reached down and grabbed his stomach.

His stomach was visible. But what was surprising and absolutely horrifying was the fact that it only had a small tinge of black to it, the charged-up chidori having done very little damage.

Sasuke breathed out heavily. He was already running majorly low on chakra from the previous battle with Itachi. He wouldn't be able to hold out much longer. And with the way things were looking...

He was going to end up losing for sure.

He shook his head, berating himself. He couldn't just give up. He had to defeat this man. This man who had killed his family, who had caused much suffering for both himself and his innocent brother.

The man who was threatening the very existence of the one he loved.

The thought of losing Naruto to this man pushed him forward, pushing him to his very limits and forcing him to keep going.

He had to protect Naruto.

He had to ensure that Naruto would be able to continue living without people hunting him down.

Even if it costed him his life.

Sasuke's chakra sky-rocketed. He had to try to give Naruto the chance at a normal life.

He dropped his blade with a clatter. He held both palms up, sweat rolling down the side of his face.

He began collecting chakra in both hands, one of fire nature and the other of lightning. His eyes slipped shut.

He had never tried to use his fire chakra in this manner before, but...

Now was the time to try.

He poured all of his chakra reserves into these two attacks.

This would be his last chance.

If this failed then he was a goner.

His eyes shot open as he felt his opponent moving. Madara was heading straight for him, his steps gaining more and more momentum.

He could feel chakra being gathered in the throat of his oppresor, instantly knowing the technique that he was about to use.

And it was too powerful for what he was trying to use.

_Why? _Sasuke thought. _Why does it end like this? After so many mistakes and troubles, whenever I try to correct the problems and take my happiness for myself..._

_Why is it I am rendered unable to?_

His eyes slid shut as he continued to collect chakra in his hands, desperately making the best attempt he could to at least give Madara major damage. The lightning chakras chirping grew in intensity as the roar of the fire's crackling increased.

Madara's hands formed multiple seals.

Snake, ram, monkey, boar, horse, tiger.

The older Uchiha's hand formed a circle with the thumb and forefinger, pulling it toward his mouth.

"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu(1)!"

He inhaled deeply before exhaling, fire-based chakra rushing out to create a large sphere of flame.

The heat was intense as it rushed for Sasuke. He pulled back his arms, the chakra in both hands spinning faster and faster out of control. He was about to thrust the chakra forward when he heard a loud cry across the clearing.

"Futon: Rasengan(2)!"

A loud whirring sounded, forcing the flames to separate and diminish, Sasuke's own chakra cutting off in surprise.

He opened his eyes, glancing upward. The back of an orange-lined black vest met his eyes. His eyes traveled further up, focusing on a small ponytail with blonde hair at the base of a tan neck.

He nearly choked.

"Naruto..."

Naruto turned around and faced him, eyes filled with worry. His eyes darted across Sasuke's form, checking for injuries. Finding nothing fatal or life-threatening, he gave a large smile.

"Thank kami. I thought you were a goner."

Nine more shinobi darted out from where Naruto had entered, landing around them protectively.

"Yo. It looks like you're still alive, eh boss?" Suigetsu smirked at Sasuke devilishly.

"I guess you were rather lucky that Naruto-san arrived when he did.." Juugo gave Sasuke a small smile as he pulled Sasuke up to his feet.

Sasuke looked around him in wonder.

Kakashi, his old team leader, was watching him quietly before his eyes scrunched into small half moons. "I'm glad you're okay."

Sakura nodded along happily at Kakashi's comment. Sai just smiled.

Karin huffed and stepped back a bit, crossing her arms.

Kiba gave a devilish smile in Sasuke's direction. "Yep. There's _so much _that you owe 'lil Naruto here.." He wriggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Naruto squeaked, his cheeks flushing. "Kiba!"

Kiba barked out a laugh and moved to Naruto's side. Kakashi, Shikamaru, Neji and Sai followed suit.

Suigetsu sighed and stepped up next to them along with Juugo as Karin and Sakura pulled Sasuke back.

Sakura prodded the stunned Sasuke in the arm before smiling delicately.

"Don't worry. You don't have to fight alone." She nodded to the small group of defensively stanced shinobi. "You have nakama."

Karin snorted and rolled her eyes, forcing Sasuke to sit down uncharacteristically. "Yeah. Nakama. We need to heal your wounds."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the change in Karin's attitude.

Sakura just smiled knowingly as she set to work on healing Sasuke's wounds.

Across the clearing Madara was becoming giddy. Not only did he have clear access to his new pair of eyes but...

His eyes flashed.

The Kyuubi vessel conveniently landed into his waiting hands.

He smirked maliciously.

_This day is proving to be much better than I thought it would be..._

**-Chapter End-**

(1) - Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu - Fire release: Great Fireball technique

(2) - Futon: Rasengan - Wind release: Rasengan (Spiraling sphere); Naruto's advanced rasengan technique. Not fully complete but increased in power.

XxXxXxXxX

Sorry for the shorter chapter. I had this chapter planned out but it turned out shorter than I thought. And Madara's story of the past isn't totally the same as what it really is in the series; I changed it up ever so slightly. But it still has the same, overall, basic idea. I believe the major fight should be next chapter. Unless I feel like I've forgotten something...

Speaking of:

Oh. My. God. I think it was like, manga-climax week. Did you guys read the new Naruto chapter?

Dear god. I had a flippin' squealing fit. No joke. I scared the little girl who was sitting next to me.

And then there was a huge climax in Bleach. A hole! A fucking hole in his chest! And he twitches!!!

D. Gray Man recently began its updates again. Hurrah! I am so glad Hoshino-sensei has healed her injury!

And Kateikyoushi Hitman Reborn... I love those damned motorcycles. I never would have thought I was going to see Tsuna on a motorcycle.

(Shudders) I had goosebumps after reading all of those chapters. Haha. Hmmm..

Oh yeah! I'm starting a new fanfiction already. It's an AU Bleach fanfic. (Grimmichi, of course) I already have the prologue and I'm fixing to start on the first chapter. Check it out if you're interested. It should be up sometime this week.

Thanks for reading!

_Review, _

**Review, **

_**Review!**_


	15. The Brawl

Yeah. I know it's been far too long. It was a ridiculously long wait. Sorry, guys. Here's the long-awaited chapter 15.

**Disclaimer(s): **I do not own Naruto. If I did, Deidara would have revealed that he indeed looked like a girl because he attempted to cross-dress.

Okay. So I'm running out of witty disclaimers. Chill.

**Warning:**

Violence

Language

Sexual Content

Possible Spoilers

Yaoi

**Key:**

"talking"

_thinking/talking to kyuubi_

_**kyuubi talking in his mind**_

_'writing'_

**Last Chapter of B r e a k i n g F r e e...**

_Across the clearing Madara was becoming giddy. Not only did he have clear access to his new pair of eyes but..._

_His eyes flashed._

_The Kyuubi vessel conveniently landed into his waiting hands._

_He smirked maliciously._

This day is proving to be much better than I thought it would be...

Chapter 15 - "the Brawl" - **Start.**

Things had happened so fast. Almost immediately, all ninjas from the team had shot off in different directions, to attack from different vantage points. Karin and Sakura backed off a bit, putting more space between themselves and the enemy. They had been designated as the medical support, and were not supposed to intervene unless it was absolutely necessary.

Neji and Juugo had paired off, quickly relying off of each others abilities as a combination. Neji quickly activated his Byakugan, tracking Madara's movements and analyzing him as much as he could. When he gave the signal, Juugo shot out from the brush, landing into a fighting stance. The older Uchiha lazily glanced back at him, raising a questioning eyebrow in challenge.

Juugo made a couple of hand signs, his appearance becoming more and more bestial by the moment. Having released his natural seal, he immediately began a flurry of attacks, pushing the enemy back as much as he could. From the opposite side of the clearing, Naruto and Kiba watched, both pairs of eyes widening slightly.

"Oh shit..." Naruto trailed off, fear wracking his bones. Kiba nodded in agreement. "Yeah, this is going to turn out really bad." They had both immediately sensed absolutely no power behind Madara's movements as he easily dodged each attack that Juugo dished out. Naruto wanted to yell from where they crouched when Neji revealed himself and began attacking as well. Kiba held him back, shaking his head sadly. "We just have to believe that they know exactly what they're doing... or are able to stay alive after the attack."

They were too far to be able to reach the pair in time, and both of them knew it. Naruto silently prayed and hoped to any and every God that another member of their team knew what was coming and that they would be able to stop it in time.

Madara let out a short chuckle as Neji joined the battle. "A Byakugan, huh?" His smile was wry and mischievous. "Very nice. And a natural enhancement." He raked his eyes over the larger man that was unrelenting in his attacks. "It really is too bad that it's not enough to defeat me." All of a sudden, the man disappeared, forcing the two nakama to come to a confused halt. Naruto let out a shriek from across the clearing.

"_Behind you!" _Was the yell that echoed, fading into the surrounding trees. Juugo felt a sharp piercing in his back, a bloody cough erupting from his throat. He had no time to contemplate the pain as he was swiftly smacked across the clearing and slammed into a tree. He was knocked out. Neji spun around, staring after his fallen comrade in wonder. How the hell had that happened so fast?

He immediately widened his sight range, keeping careful lookout for the enemy. He could see the man, but he was moving much too fast. Like he was teleporting around and never pausing to rest.

When Madara came closer to him, Neji released a cocky smile. The moment the older man had landed, Neji murmured under his breath, "Hakke Rokujuyon Sho(1)." He set his palms out in an offensive manner, planting multiple strikes all around him. When the 64 hits were finished, Neji released a breath, wiping his brow. He frowned. He knew he hit the enemy, but the strange thing was...

Each and every hit connected. Somehow, he knew that something really strange was going on. He stood at alert attention, waiting for the enemy to respond. Strangely, after a few moments, nothing happened. He frowned. His senses were beginning to become a bit skewed. His sight was a little blurry (which was a little more than alarming considering how much he relied on his Byakugan) and he couldn't feel his limbs all that well...

His eyes widened in belated recognition as horror set in. He was in a genjutsu! He lifted his hands to a position, preparing to dispel the illusion. It was too late.

A blow came from his left, sending him flying in the same direction as Juugo. As he hit the ground and tumbled, he knew that he was no longer in the genjutsu. He sat up from the ground, pushing himself to the limit and unwilling to be defeated just by that. On the opposite side of the clearing, Madara let out a devious smirk. Neji stood on shaky feet, sharp pain being registered all over his body. He looked down, only to find that he had cuts covering his body, massive amounts of blood pouring from his wounds. He cursed silently as his vision began to fail and his senses began to shut down for recuperation.

As Neji slumped to the ground unconscious, Sakura let out a cry of despair. She was going to make her way over to the man, but stopped as a hand tugged on her wrist. Sakura let out a squawk of dismay when she saw that the hand belonged to Karin. "What the hell? I have to go help them!" She said forcefully, pointing at Neji and then Juugo who lay a few yards away. Karin merely stayed silent, shaking her head with a hard glare.

"Let me go, damnit!" Sakura shook her wrist attempting to rid herself of the restricting hand. Karin held on even tighter. "No. You can't. What would be the point on wasting your chakra on two people who won't be able to fight any longer in this battle when your chakra might be needed for injuries that can actually be fixed to go back into battle?" Karin blew out a breath, attempting to regain her lost air. Sakura paused, a pained frown contorting her face. "But, Neji..." She brought her gaze back to the redhead beside her, widening her eyes slightly.

Karin had let go, staring at Juugo's unconscious form, biting her bottom lip as she struggled to keep herself from shaking. Sakura watched her for a moment, a guilty frown coming to rest on her features. She wasn't the only one worried about her friends...

Meanwhile, Sai had joined in the fight, pushing forward to the fullest and summoning multiple ink creatures. He probably would have joined the same fate that the two prior fighters had arrived at had Shikamaru not been using his shadow to distract the enemy.

Multiple different animals were summoned, attacking Madara ferociously and unrelenting. But, as they began to quickly notice, the summonings were no match for the man of red eyes, each of them dispersing for seemingly no reason outside of a radius around the man. Sai, undettered, shot forward and pulled back his fist for a mighty punch, rushing it forward and blinking when it met nothing but air. Madara reappeared behind him, slashing at his back with a kunai and making him wince as he stumbled forward. Sai whirled around and sat back on his haunches ignoring the pain--a bright side to his training as an elite ANBU member.

Shikamaru quickly devised a plan from his position hidden behind the brush a few yards away from the fighting duo. His plans, however, were ruined when Sai was sent flying backwards, a deep stab wound bleeding a pool around him. Sakura broke free from where she was and rushed forward to pull him back a safe distance before her and Karin could staunch the bleeding.

A few others tried their hand at fighting the undeniably powerful enemy, Kiba finally having had enough with watching his comrads dropping like flies and Suigetsu just rearing for a fight. Regrettably, Suigetsu's natural ability to morph into water was rendered useless and was given a nearly fatal stab along with Kiba, who barely maintained his consciousness.

Now only few fighters remained, only Naruto, Sasuke, Shikamaru and Kakashi. Sakura and Karin had taken a few openings to drag their downed comrades out of range of the crazed madman to hopefully heal them as much as possible. Almost as if by some kind of communicated silence, the four remaining fighters of the group stepped out from their hiding spots, taking different positions to take Madara on.

Madara, however, merely laughed. "More than half of your group has been eliminated from this battle... and you still desire to fight?" He clicked his tongue, clearly looking down upon them. "Surely, as you are the remaining fighters, you have noticed how far out of your league I am..?" He turned slowly in a circle, making sure to look at each and every one of them. None of them met his eyes.

"I see, though, that you are cautious. Bravo." He subtly bent his knees and built his chakra. "Cautiousness, however, isn't going to allow you to keep your lives."

The battle erupted almost immediately, the four on their group shooting forward and taking turns using minor distractions in an effort to give other comrads a precious extra second for an attack. The melee continued for a span of a little over 5 minutes before they each dispersed and returned to their surrounding postions, panting with the loss of energy.

Madara stretched slightly, bones audibly popping. "I think it's about time we end this game, eh?" Sasuke frowned in confusion, wondering what he was talking about. Each of them could tell that the man had been forced to use a good portion of his power against the four of them... and yet he spoke as if he had yet to use a tenth of his chakra and still had something up his sleeve. His eyes darkened. He had a bad feeling...

The older Uchiha threw a glance back at his descendant, mouth crinkling into a terrible grin. "Yes, you seem to sense something bad... As you may have guessed, I still have the advantage over you. Yes..." He glanced over to Naruto, grin widening ever so slightly. "I still have my trump card right here."

Automatically, it clicked in Naruto's brain. The Sharingan. The ability to control the Kyuubi no Kitsune.

_Oh. Shit._

Sudden, splitting pain. That was the first thing he noticed as a scream ripped from his lips, the menacing red chakra and horrible ancient memories filling his senses. He didn't notice how his nakama's faces had paled, or how they had been forced to hold Sasuke back as he tried to shoot forward screaming his name. Naruto was simply drowning in pain, the Kyuubi forcibly being pulled out from his inner being and coerced into wearing the skin that rightfully belonged to him. After the pain... was nothing. Naruto was no longer conscious to the living realm.

Kyuubi took a wavering step forward in the unfamiliar body, pausing when he felt an invisible chain around his neck, no doubt leading back to the bastard who had caused his Kit so much pain. "_**Madara. You fucking bastard.**_"

Said man merely chuckled gleefully. "Nice to see you again, too." He shook his head, seemingly shaking the amusement away with that action. "Now, now. That isn't the way to speak to your _master_, now, is it? Besides," he glanced at the three remaining of the group, "you have business to take care of."

The soul inhabiting Naruto's body let out a ferocious hiss, hating that he was forced to do this. But, despite his fervent wishes, he shot forward at inhuman speed, rapidly letting out blows on them. The fight was comprised of many close calls: Kakashi lucky not to have his head ripped off, Shikamaru lucky not to have been incinerated by the Menacing Ball of chakra, Sasuke lucky not to have his insides messed up with internal bleeding by a chakra amplified punch.

They continued to dart around, barely having time to stop and swap strategies. There was one crucial moment, however, where Shikamaru had been able to remind Sasuke of something. Darting to Sasuke's side, he quickly muttered into his ear before shooting off and rejoining the fight to support the barely-alive Kakashi.

After barely a few minutes, the surroundings were already littered with charred grass, large craters and toppled trees. The group of three had run out of stamina and were out of hope. Kyuubi had lost all thought processes and reverted to relying upon instinct and instinct only. Sasuke decided that now was the time to put Shikamaru's words into action.

_"You and Madara have an alike ability. Use it to your advantage."_

_Screw using the same ability. I'm going to go even further._

Sasuke halted and motioned for Shikamaru and Kakashi to rest, the two obliging and taking wary stances at his side. From across the clearing, Madara merely laughed and called for Kyuubi to stop, the raging beast unable to do anything but to listen to his orders. Ignoring how his descendants eyes seemed to burn into him as he reached forward and petted the hair atop Naruto's head, he cleared his throat. "You can't possibly think you have one up on me, do you?" He turned his eyes back to Sasuke, an amused glint shining in their depths.

There was a silence before Sasuke said, "You forget that I have the same eyes as you." Sasuke opened his eyes, revealing the Sharingan, tomoes spinning mercilessly. Madara wasn't even fazed. Instead he raised an eyebrow. "You forget that I am much more powerful.." His sentence cut off, wondering how the younger man before him could be so careless. The raven allowed his eyes to slide shut, simultaneously pulling large amounts of chakra up to his eyes. He blinked his eyes open.

Instead of the usual Sharingan, there was something new in its place. Void of the usual tomoes, there was now criss-crossing lines outlining his pupil, creating a sort of haphazard, multi-pointed star. Madara sucked in a breath, limbs frozen as he was forced into a genjutsu. Never before had he been caught by the eyes of his own blood. Of course, there was also the fact that...

Nobody had ever achieved such a high level of the Sharingan. Until now, that is.

Within an instant, Sasuke had shot forward, pulling out his Kusanagi and piercing the man's skin, pushing the blade past the ribcage and directly into his heart. The motion had been so swift that neither Sakura or Karin had seen it. Shikamaru and Kakashi had seen the blur of his arm, but...

Just as fast as he had stabbed the man, the raven pulled his katana out and re-sheathed it. Ignoring the bloodied body that dropped to the floor, he turned to his blank-eyed friend, looking him in the eye. Sasuke felt a crushing sensation around his heart as he watched the flame red chakra swirl around Naruto, chewing at his skin. Naruto reared back on his hind legs, ready to strike. He pulled in a breath and then breathed out with authority, "Kyuubi. Desist." For a moment, there was nothing but silence, until there was a voice that echoed in the clearing.

_**"Understood."**_

Within seconds, the fiery red tendrils of chakra were pulled back into the blond's body, disappearing out of sight. Dull red eyes slowly morphed into dull blue, Naruto's knees going weak and causing him to fall. Sasuke shot forward and caught him before he hit the ground, slowly sliding him down to sit on the burned grass.

**-Chapter End-**

(1) - Hakke Rokujuyon Sho - Eight Trigrams Sixty-four palms.

XxXxXxXxX

Yeah... so I know a lot of my readers are pissed off at me for neglecting this fanfiction--but like I said before I would never abandon it! I just came to absolutely adore the new fanfiction that I had started (the Bleach one mentioned last chapter) and couldn't concentrate on anything else. I hope you guys forgive me... -nervous laugh-

So. There's only one chapter left. It's going to be EPIC. (Just like all the recent manga chapters... particularly Reborn, Naruto and Skip Beat). By the way. I am going to be starting a Ren X Kyoko (heterosexual) fiction in the Skip Beat fandom next. (After this one is finally complete.)

Tell me what you thought of it... OH! And tell me if you see any major differences in my writing style. I know I've changed alot... but, truthfully, I have no idea how. -laughs- Review!


	16. The Resolution

Alright, guys! I... am really happy. This is the **last chapter **of Breaking Free! This is my first story, plot bunny, and attempt at a decent ongoing piece of literature. It's been a blast! Enjoy!

**Disclaimer(s): **I do not own Naruto. I just don't.

Witty disclaimers are officially gone. (And just in time, too!)

**Warning:**

Violence

Language

Sexual Content

Possible Spoilers

Yaoi

**Key:**

"talking"

_thinking/talking to kyuubi_

_**kyuubi talking in his mind**_

_'writing'_

_

* * *

  
_

**Last Chapter of B r e a k i n g F r e e...**

_"Kyuubi. Desist." For a moment, there was nothing but silence, until there was a voice that echoed in the clearing._

**"Understood."**

_Within seconds, the fiery red tendrils of chakra were pulled back into the blond's body, disappearing out of sight. Dull red eyes slowly morphed into dull blue, Naruto's knees going weak and causing him to fall. Sasuke shot forward and caught him before he hit the ground, slowly sliding him down to sit on the burned grass._

_

* * *

  
_

Chapter 16 - "the Resolution" - **Start.**

He couldn't remember anything that had happened. The last he remembered was the rushing fear that encompassed him and then... _nothing._

Naruto was warm, though. He was safe, deep inside his consciousness--and he knew it. He didn't want to leave this warmth for anything. He wanted to stay and ignore the worries of the world. This place was nice--he didn't have to think about anything, there wasn't any danger of being hurt, he just simply _existed._

This place was much better than the nightmare of the real world. The world in which he was terrorized for something beyond his control. The world in which he had felt so much pain and seen so much death. It was better here, where he could forget about all that. Where he could drift in and out of nothingness and continue to exist in peace.

His tan arms wrapped around firm legs, his body curling up tightly. His hair swayed slightly in the dark liquid, his soul in a calm peace. Silence reigned in these waters, no sound audible to his ears. He could feel the warmth of the water, sense the peacefulness of the environment and see nothing but a dark void. Naruto's eyes slipped shut.

_I don't ever want to leave..._

Just then, a very light, almost un-noticable ripple passed through the water, caressing his skin. He pulled a frown, curling up tighter into a ball.

_Never leave..._

Another ripple swept through the fluid, pulsing around his body and whispering unheard words to him.

_No..._

Ripples steadily picked up, gently jarring his body and pushing it to sway around in the water. His fingers tightened, clutching his legs seemingly closer than what was possible. The ripples gradually increased in strength, becoming more and more like underwater waves. He didn't want to leave. It wasn't fair. He liked it here. There was nothing to worry about... everything was calm and peaceful.

No conflict.

No war.

No _death._

Naruto's mind dimly contemplated on ignoring the waves altogether when a gentle wisping buzzed in his ears. Unknowingly, he stopped all thoughts, concentrating on the noise as the ripples slowed to a stop without his realizing. He slowly released his legs, straightening out his body and peeling his eyes open. Silence ensued for a few moments before a small ripple brushed against him, a familiar voice making him stiffen.

"...to..."

He longed to hear the words, a side of him irritated that they were muffled beyond recognition. Within him, however, an insecurity spouted words of a different idea.

_Don't listen to it... This place is safe, peaceful..._

Drawing back, Naruto's eyes turned glassy. He turned away, listening to the voice within him. It was right. Here it was safe and peaceful.

"...ruto..."

He paused once more, turning to look over his shoulder into the black abyss, a bit surprised to find a small crack of light in the darkness. _Don't...._

Naruto stopped.

_This place carries safety and peace..._

He turned, keeping his eyes away from the piercing brightness and intending to listen to his inner-worries.

"_Naruto..._ Please...!"

He shook his head, turning back around to the light. He knew that voice. That voice that brought on such strong feelings and seized his heart with emotion.

_This place is the only place that carries safety and peace... and happiness. _

Naruto let a sad smile slip onto his face. "No," he said aloud, addressing the murmuring from deep within. "This place is merely an escape. I can do better than this. I have friends, loved ones. People who I love and people who love me. I have a chance to make something of myself, to see the world and experience millions of new things... The world isn't all sunshine and daisies, but... it does carry happiness. That is what I failed to realize--the mistake that I made... no, the mistake that _we _made."

Just like that, the murmuring of his insecurities was gone.

With a renewed smile, a fresh outlook, and a sense of longing, he followed that wondrously familiar voice into the light.

**

* * *

  
**

Only Shikamaru and Kakashi watched as Sasuke held the blond lovingly in his arms. Sakura and Karin had darted off to begin healing their fallen comrades, hoping to every possible God out there that they were still alive. Oblivious to all around him, Sasuke centered all of his attention on Naruto, brushing his palm against the scarred cheek.

"Naruto..."

A wave of pain hit him, right in the heart. The beloved boy was so wounded and beaten up... and now that he really thought about it--it wasn't just the body--it was the heart, the soul. Naruto had been through _so much _and he had been too self-absorbed to realize that as a child. He pulled the limp body closer to him, another wave of sorrow and guilt ravaging his heart.

"...Naruto..."

Without even realizing it, the blond boy's name had become a mantra, constantly falling from his lips every few seconds. He couldn't bear the thought of losing him... it would be devastating. _Please don't...._

"_Naruto... _Please..!"

Sasuke tensed when his eyes caught the twitch of a tan finger. Ebony eyes darted to Naruto's face, checking for any signs of waking. He held his breath when Naruto gave a particularly deep inhale, lips cracking open to expel the air. After a few moments, glassy blue eyes cracked open, gazing unseeingly a little past the young male's face.

"...Naruto..?" And just like that, the trance was broken.

The blond blinked once, before fixing his eyes on bottomless black orbs. There was a moment where he seemed to require his brain to start working again before he let out a hoarse, "Sasuke..?"

When Sasuke's lips melded into a small smile, Shikamaru and Kakashi blinked before glancing at each other and nodding, stepping away to go help with healing as best as they could. Sasuke didn't even notice their departure, instead keeping his eyes locked on the deep blue that he almost thought he would never see again. He let out a relieved laugh and leaned down to capture chapped lips, pulling back with a widening smile when he saw tanned features morph into shock. There was a moment when Naruto was just utterly confused until he finally cracked a smile of his own and then reached up to pull him down into another kiss.

**

* * *

**

It took two days for the others to regain consciousness and mend their wounds to the point where they could set off for home. Karin, Juugo and Suigetsu had all had a particularly enlightening conversation with Kakashi, announcing that they would go to Konoha and plead to be incorporated into their ninja ranks. Kakashi had asked Sasuke (rather cautiously) if he were to be returning with them.

The raven-haired young man, however, had been unable to keep his eyes off of Naruto, refusing to step away from his side and therefore, (by that twisted logic) had not answered. Suigetsu had merely glanced at him before his teeth were showing in a sharp smirk when he said, "Don't worry. There's no place he'd rather be." He had then burst into boisterous laughter and proceeded to tear into the fish that they had been having for dinner that night.

When it came time to leave, they had all packed up and gotten ready to go. They had started walking, but Kakashi had halted, turning around and glancing at the back of the group where Naruto and Sasuke stood unmoving. He stared at them for a moment, gauging their actions before asking the blond a silent question with his eyes.

Naruto held up one finger, to which Kakashi maintained silence before giving a sharp nod. He turned back around and headed off, leaving confused teammates to follow after him with quick glances back at their friend. Naruto waved them off, watching as they disappeared behind the trees and then turned back to Sasuke when they were alone.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

Instantly, Sasuke knew exactly what Naruto was doing. He was being given a choice--a chance to get out of going back to Konoha. He smiled secretly to himself. That was just like Naruto. Not only that, but... because Naruto was there--because it was Naruto's home--it was now his home, too. That was it--the extent of his logic. Where Naruto was, he was going to follow.

Utter seriousness alight in his eyes, he gave a sharp nod. "Yes."

Naruto nodded, mirroring the same seriousness. His features relaxed after a bit as he sank into thought.

"Ah!!"

Sasuke blinked, curious at the outburst. Naruto sank to his knees, pulling his pack off his shoulder and digging through it. He pulled out a small vial and handed the long-forgotten item to Sasuke. He had forgotten to send it to Tsunade during the mission for analyzing.

"What is this?" Sasuke asked, feeling like he already knew the answer.

"The same thing Itachi had. I stole if off of one of his lackeys a while back. You can use this as you wish." He waved a hand in general. Sasuke took the vial and stared at it for a moment before a small smile pulled at his lips. He held it in front of himself and crushed it, the contents spilling over his hand and onto the ground, seeping into the dirt.

"Nah." He glanced at Naruto who had an eyebrow raised in his direction. "I think I'd rather keep my own eyes, no matter how blind I become." The blond merely smiled in response before he seemed to remember something.

"Hey, Sasuke. Do you think ninjas will ever stop creating and fighting wars?" Sasuke seemed to be confused for a moment before giving a simple shrug, much to the blond's dismay. "Who knows. But... we could always strive for that, right?" A wide smile stretched across Naruto's face.

"Yeah... I guess you're right. We've already broken free from the chains of our past. So let's break free from the chains of our future by battling the chains of the present." Naruto smiled and pulled him into a gentle kiss before pulling back and hopping to his feet. He chuckled at Sasuke's bewildered expression before turning in the direction where the group had disappeared. He twisted his body around and held his hand out with a smile.

"Come on, Sasuke. Let's go home."

**-Chapter/Story End-**

Oh. My. God. It's finally over. It's been over a year and a half... It was my first fanfiction and testament into the yaoi world... and I am really sad. I'm not really all that proud of this work as compared to Endure and Survive, but... I still love it to death. I hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing and creating it. Please review and give some thoughts!


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